Lyss's Turn
by Summerstar042
Summary: From 'On Fortune's Wheel'. Birle has left Orien, the Earl and her Love, to live a peaceful life with their daughter, Lyss, who Orien does not know exists. Then Lyss runs away with her best friend and stumbles unknowingly across him... ON HIATUS
1. Questions

Hey people! This is my very first fanfic, and is based on _On Fortune's Wheel_, by Cynthia Voight. It can be considered a fairy tale, if not what you would think of as a classic fairy tale, and anyway I couldn't figure out how to suggest a catagory. Please Review!

**Disclaimer:** Sadly, I own nothing.

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**Lyss's Turn**

_**There are some who say that the Lady Fortune **_

_**has a wheel, and all men are fixed upon it. **_

_**The wheel turns, and the men rise, or fall, **_

_**with the turning of the wheel.**_

Years have passed since Birle ran away from her beloved Orien, finding herself both unhappy with the courtly life he gave her, and pregnant with his child. Birle rarely thought of him anymore, having given her heart to her daughter, Lyss, named for her own mother. She now lives happily in her grandparent's cottage with Lyss, caring for her herb and flower garden, sometimes making money by reading to one of the villagers, or writing for them. It was good money, and she had no competition, being the only commoner who knew how. She did have to be careful with who she helped though, it technically being against the law for her to read.

She had at one point tried to find Yul, and had found the man she had left him with. But Yul was no longer there. She was told that someone else had come for him, and then she had been ignored. Having no more hope of finding him, Birle had returned home to her family. She secretly imagined sometimes that it had been Orien who had come for him, though that was unlikely seeing as she had never told him what had become of the simpleminded Yul.

Her beautiful Lyss was now fourteen years old, and could read as well, Birle having taught her a few years ago. One day, they were gathering herbs from their garden, and Lyss began to ask the questions Birle had hoped never to hear from her.

"Mama?"

"Hmm?"

"May I ask you a question?"

"You always can- you know that."

"It's just… I've just been wondering… about you..." Birle put down the plants in her hands as Lyss trailed off and stoop up, brushing off her skirts. She thought she could see where this was going, and vehemently hoped she was wrong.

"Something is bothering you, Lyss, so please just come out and say it. We've never kept secrets."

"Actually, you have been keeping secrets, my whole life you have. You've never told me… you've never told me anything… _anything _about… your life or… my father… where your grandparents learned to read… why you ran away when you were my age… or…"

Birle sighed and said, "I guess I always knew you would start asking those questions someday." She paused and looked up at the sky, where dark clouds were shading he noon sun, slowly growing thicker. "Let's just finish this before the storm comes, or we'll have nothing to offer those who buy our herbs. I promise you, tonight we'll talk." They then finished what they were doing in silence; Lyss giving her mother quick glances from time to time. After carrying the baskets of herbs into the small shed to protect them from hungry animals as well as the elements, they then hurried indoors, as the rain was beginning to fall. Lyss built up a fire while Birle poured some leftover stew into a pot for their supper.

The two then sat down on the bench by the hearth while the stew heated. Birle sighed again as she looked at her daughter. "You know," she said, "nobody else has ever asked me anything about any of this. When I finally came home I thought that they would for some reason- I guess I was away for too long. I'd forgotten how people are here; mind your own business, it doesn't matter what happened. All that matters is that Birle is back and she's pregnant and she's going to stay. Knowing what happened wouldn't change anything, there's nothing we might do with the information, so why waste time finding out."

"But Mama," said Lyss, looking at her, "you didn't raise me like that. You taught me to ask questions, and care, and not to be afraid to be different. You always said that just because something isn't necessary doesn't mean it doesn't matter. You brought me up so I would ask this."

Birle smiled. "I guess I did, didn't I. What do you want me to tell you first?"

"I want to know about my father."

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YAY! You read it! Now you should review... 


	2. Answers

Hello again! Hope you all like this chapter, I'm planning one with Orien next. All reviews were greatly appreciated!

**Disclaimer:** I own the computer I wrote this on. That's about it.

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_"I want to know about my father."_

Birle sighed. She had never actually planned on keeping anything from her daughter- it had just sort of happened. Birle had imagined always Lyss growing up knowing all about what had happened, always asking about it, knowing exactly what had occurred, knowing the name and identity of her father. But, unfortunately for Birle, there was a flaw in this plan which she didn't see until it was too late. In order for Lyss to know what had happened, Birle must first tell her everything, in detail- and Birle did not talk about that time in her life. It wasn't that she was afraid to talk about it, or wanted to forget, or that she was uncomfortable with it in any way, really. It was just... Birle felt as though that had just been like a phase in her life, something... over. And now it seemed it was coming back.

"Did you… uhh… know him?"

Birle frowned. What did she mean, had she _known_ him? How could she possibly have _not- _…oh.

"Yes, I knew him very well." She answered quickly. Lyss looked slightly relieved.

"Tell me about him."

"What do you want to know?"

"Everything."

Birle thought. She wasn't sure why, exactly, but she didn't want Lyss to know that her father was the Earl. After a moment though, she began to speak. "You look a bit like him, you know. You have his eyes… like bluebells. I always loved his bluebell eyes…" Birle paused for a moment, lost in remembering. Then she shook her head and continued a bit more quickly. "He was a wonderful man, your father. Very caring, very gentle. I… I loved him very much. He could read as well, you know."

"Really? Who taught him?"

"I… don't know who taught him, exactly." This wasn't a lie. Birle had no idea exactly who had taught Orien to read… probably some rich tutor. It wasn't a lie. Luckily, Lyss was much too absorbed in what she was saying to notice her guilty look.

They both jumped as a loud hissing noise broke the silence. Some of the stew had boiled over. Birle hurried over to pull it off the fire, while Lyss got out the bowls and spoons. She had completely forgotten about the stew… she took a small taste, and decided that it was ready. Ladling some into the two bowls held by her daughter, they sat down to supper. It was very peaceful, sitting there, eating the stew, with the cozy light and warmth from the fire filling the room. The storm continued to pour steadily outside, creating a drumbeat on the small cottage that Birle had always loved so much.

The stew was eaten quickly, as they were both hungry and Lyss wished to continue their conversation. They placed their dishes in the small sink to be washed later, and Lyss immediately built on that wish.

"Where did you meet him?"

"Your father?"

"Yes."

Birle smiled at the memory. "Well, the first time I saw him was right outside the inn, actually. By the docks…" She smiled again. "Though I'm not sure you would actually consider that meeting him… meeting him probably happened just a little after the docks…"

"What do you mean, that wasn't when you met? Did you ignore each other?"

"No, we definitely noticed each other," said Birle with a small laugh. "I… well; I sort of attacked him, actually. I had a reason!" she added quickly as Lyss gave her a shocked look. "He was stealing a boat! Or I thought he was, anyway. It looked like it! It turned out to have been his boat after all in the end though."

For the next hour, Birle told her daughter all about the man she had once intended to marry- though that particular fact did not come up. Lyss positively glowed throughout her description, drinking in every word. Then, suddenly, Birle realized with a shock how late it was. The sun had set hours ago, and they needed to go into the village as soon as it rose again, to sell herbs and see to some people who were too old or sick or both to come to them and such.

"Lyss, do you realize how long we've been talking? It must be midnight!"

"Oh, Mama, we don't have to go to bed yet, do we? I'm not tired at all, and anyway there's no way I could get to sleep!"

"We're going into the village tomorrow, remember? Come on, we do need _some_ sleep, even if we are getting up at the crack of dawn."

Lyss sighed and said, "All right… but just answer two more questions first, okay?" Birle tried to interrupt here, but Lyss hurried on, "If you don't answer them, I know I'll stay up all night thinking about them and wondering, and then I won't get any sleep at all, and when you finally do tell me the answers I'll be too tired to even understand what you're telling me!" Birle had to smile.

"Oh, fine, but just two and no more. What's your first question?"

"What was his name?"

"You mean I haven't told you…? No, I suppose I didn't. His name…" Birle didn't think Lyss would recognize it as the name of the Earl- when it came to Orien, people just didn't think of him as Orien, or even Lord Orien. He was just the Earl; he had no name, as far as they were concerned. At least, none that made any difference, or that there was any point to remembering. "His name was Orien."

"Orien…" repeated Lyss, savoring the name. A very nice name, really…

"One more question, and then bed." Birle told her, bring Lyss back to reality. Birle had a feeling that she had been saving these questions for some reason.

"Right… one more question. What I wanted to know was…" she hesitated, and then plowed bravely on. "What I wanted to know was, do… do you know if…" Again, she hesitated.

"Lyss, whatever it is just ask! I promise I'll answer, and I won't take offense at anything you might want to know, if that's what you're worried about."

Lyss took a deep breath, and then asked the question she had been wondering about since she was a little girl, the one that meant so much to her. "You've been referring to my father in the past tense all night… he _was_ this, he _used to_ do that… like he isn't anymore, or can no longer do that. What I want to know is… is he is alive? Do you even know? If not, what happened? And if he is… would it be possible to… to maybe… maybe, find him?" she said, finishing very quietly.

There was a pause, and then Birle said, "That was more than one question."

"Yes, well… they all go together. Are you going to answer?"

Another pause, and then Birle answered quietly, "Yes… yes, I suppose he is still alive, and if he were needed, I suppose I could find him.

"Now, time for bed."

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Hope you enjoyed it! Next chapter coming soon! For now, if you'd like to review... 


	3. Orien

Hello again! Thanks to FutureFamousMovieDirector for reviewing- I might not have written this without any reviews. This chapter is written from Orien's PoV, and takes place on the same night as the previous two chapters, just so I don't confuse anyone. Please Review!

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Orien laughed, his bluebell eyes sparkling merrily as he and his brother trotted into the stables from their day-long hawking trip into the woods surrounding the stately manor in which they lived. It was the first true day off that he had had in a while… Orien hadn't managed to feel so completely carefree since… well; now that he thought of it, he probably hadn't felt like this since before _she_ had left. For just the smallest moment, the thought of her saddened him, but then it passed as though he hadn't thought of her at all. He jumped down from the rather large stallion he had been riding, giving the furry nose a pat as he did so.

The brothers then handed their reins to the grooms waiting for them, and continued on to enter the manor. They had barely eaten all day, as they hadn't wished to carry too much with them, and so were unsurprised to find that the cooks had prepared a grand meal for their dinner; practically a feast. The two, along with the guards and others of the court who had gone with them, then proceeded to have a very merry dinner eating the rich beef and drinking the fine wines laid out for them by the servants while discussing, in sometimes exaggerated detail, the events of the day.

By the time they had finished, it had long since grown dark outside and everyone was exhausted. They bade each other goodnight, and left. Orien returned to his rooms, and changed into his fine silk pajamas as he slowly prepared for sleep and climbed into bed.

Despite the active and exhausting day he had had, Orien couldn't sleep. He rarely managed to get to sleep easily. When he was alone, in bed, he always began to think of _her_, the beautiful Birle who had changed his life and his perception in so many ways… he knew would never forget her. He sometimes couldn't help but think that maybe... he could have done something different, something, anything... how could she have left? How could he have let her! The last few days he had seen her before she'd left were burned into his memory forever, and now he thought he could see what he had so stupidly missed during those few days. All the small little signs that she wasn't happy with the life he gave her... how could he have missed them? He hadn't seen her nearly as much as he should have, he recognized that now. He had only seen her sporadically in the halls while on his way to speak with important people... had only had time to say quickly, "You are content?" before he rushed off again. He couldn't recall ever actually hearing her answer that question; he supposed he had always left too quickly to give her a chance. But he could remember her looking as if she were going to answer... as if she had something to say beyond a simple 'yes.' Sometimes, even, as though she planned to go as far as to answer with a 'no.' But he had never given her that chance. Now, it was too late... she was gone. And after fifteen years, he very much doubted she would ever be coming back.

He thought of that dark day when he had returned home and asked his brother where she was. He had given him a quick, almost guilty look, and then told him to sit down; he had something he needed to tell him...

Orien hadn't been able to accept the fact that she had vanished from his life, probably forever, for a very long time. For a while, he had thought; maybe she just wished to go home and see her family, let them know she's all right... she'll be back soon, just a few days...

But a month had gone by, and then another. Eventually, Orien had realized that his Birle truly wasn't coming back. That was when he had decided to search for her himself.

His first thought had been the inn he knew she had grown up in. That was the most likely lace he could think of for her to go... but, somehow, no matter how much he strained his memory, he hadn't been able to remember the name of that inn. Nor had he been able to remember how he had arrived there in the first place.

When he had run away, he had just been a young lord who had no idea what he was doing or where he was going. He had never been anywhere truly far away before, and the only times he had left the manor he had been happily holed away in some grand carriage. He had never paid any attention to directions or distances- he'd had servants to do that type of thing for him. Basically, he'd had no sense of direction, and no idea how he had gotten where he was or how to get back. He could now tell where he was going, but that didn't change his non-memory.

Orien had gone through lists of all the inns in the Kingdom, but no name on those long lists had rung any bells. As Orien was sure he would remember the name if he were to see it, he had come up with an explanation for this.

The lists he had looked at had been made up for lords and ladies who were traveling and might need a place to stay. Whoever had made them up had known this, and hadn't wanted to get in trouble if a lord or lady ended up staying at an inn they might consider less than adequate for someone of their standing. They had therefore only listed large, expensive inns with lots of room and money; places where a lord or lady could spend a night in no less luxury than they might in their own manors; places where they would not have to put up with 'peasants' who did not have the money to stay in such a place.

From what he could remember, the inn his Birle had grown up in did not fit this criteria.

He had tried many other ways of finding her as well, but never with any more results. He had finally stopped trying one day, no longer able to face the sorrow he felt when one plan or another yielded nothing.

Then he decided to do the only things he could do for her anymore, the only things he could do to make her life, wherever she was, a little easier. The first thing was to do the very best job he could as Earl, since she was under his rule somewhere. The second thing was to be happy, which he was sure she wanted for him. The third thing helped her a bit more directly... he could remember, when he was sick and she had nursed him back to health, a large man by the name of Yul who had been with them for a short time. And he also remembered what had happened to him, how Birle had been obliged to leave him behind so they could continue on and Orien could heal. And he remembered Birle telling Yul that she would come back for him, someday, and take him away. So Orien had gathered up a group of his men and gone back across the sea to find the man that they had left him with. He had found him, too, and had gotten Yul away from him without much trouble once the man had seen the men he had with him. Yul now lived in his own small cottage on the edge on the manor with a few people to take care of him.

Though the pain of her absence had lessened to a point over the years, Orien knew it would never leave him completely. He missed her so much; he'd once thought his heart would surely break of it. Yet, despite that, Orien was happy with his life. He had friends, he had his brother, and he had his people. Both his father and grandfather had passed away several years ago, which made him the Earl today. Yes, Orien was happy. Not as happy as he might have been with Birle by his side, but he was happy.

With a final sigh, he managed to slip into sleep, and to dream of her. There was a traders' day coming up in a week or so... Orien would hear the people's problems, watch them celebrate another year gone by... in a week or so... but, for now, Orien slept.

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Thanks for reading! I'll get the next chapter up as soon as I can- school's been getting in my way lately. I sometimes have this thing where I don't want to continue a story if I don't think anybody's reading it... soplease Review! 


	4. Running Away

Whoa, this chapter is looong. I didn't realize it was gonna be this long... hope y'all like it! It took forever to write. I was listening to beatles music most of the time while writing it, if anyone cares. Oh, and this is gonna count for last chapter too, since i forgot one, ok?

**Disclaimer:** I own absolutely nothing.

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Birle slowly opened her eyes, groaning as she realized that the sun was beginning to show over the horizon, turning the sky nearest it a pale yellow. Pulling herself up out of bed, she sleepily put on her dress and went to wake Lyss. Birle smiled softly to herself as she looked down on her sleeping daughter... she was no baby anymore. But she would always be her baby.

Birle gently shook Lyss's shoulder, and Lyss let out a little moan, trying to shake her off, but Birle simply shook her harder. "Lyss, it's time to get up. I told you we'd have to today, didn't I? Just last night. Come on, get up, we need to go into the village. You'll get to see Griffin!"

With a final sigh, Lyss turned over and stared up at her mother. "Do we have to?"

"Yes." Lyss, with a seemingly great effort, managed to drag herself upright and begin silently brushing out her hair, too tired to say anything.

Half an hour later, both mother and daughter were ready for the day. Lyss was over her initial sleepiness, and now actually quite energetic.

"How long are we going to be in the village for?" she asked cheerily as she picked up her half of the herbs that had been requested of them the previous time they had gone for a trip into the village. They only went about once a week for a _trip_ into the village. Just going down there wasn't unusual, but a trip lasted a bit longer and consisted of a lot more. They had many errands to do, such as purchasing necessities that they couldn't make themselves, and selling their own goods and services. Lyss sometimes despaired of the fact that her mother always refused to buy things they could make at home... it would make their life at home much less busy, and they could more than afford it! But, for some unknown reason, Birle simply wouldn't, and Lyss did not question it. Out loud.

"Probably all day. You can help me until noon, and then go do as you wish 'till I finish. I won't need your help with anything after that." Lyss was slightly surprised, but grateful. Usually Birle required more help than that. It never occurred to her that her mother might have an alternate motive for letting her off so early, besides giving her a break.

"Okay!" The pair had begun to walk away from the cottage, towards the village. Each was carrying a medium sized basket of herbs, among other things.

They could easily have ridden in their cart to he village, had they wished to, but it was such a beautiful day... by unspoken agreement, they both realized this was no day for riding in a smelly old cart, even with their placid old mare Bela pulling it.

An hour later, they walked in through the village entrance. Almost immediately, Mr. Higgins came hurrying up to them. How did he always manage to do that?

"Ah, Lyss, my lassie! You're back again! And brought your mother along too, I see." He beamed at them.

"Hello, Mr. Higgins." said Lyss, smiling at him. He really was a very nice old man, once you got past the annoying aspect of him. That was sometimes a hard thing to do, but he _was_ nice, and he did depend on the herbs they brought him.

"Did you, by any chance, bring any more of that green leafy stuff with you? The one that helps you sleep and sooths your joints a bit when you make it into a tea? Not that it matters... it just... popped into my head! Yes, it just popped into my head, when I saw you coming in, with those big baskets..." he eyed them jealously. Lyss doubted he was capable of lifting anything as large anymore.

Birle answered for her. "Why, yes, as a matter of fact we did. We even have a bit extra, if you'd like it, because of the storm. We were afraid it would be ruined if we didn't harvest it yesterday."

"You have extra? That's wonderful! Not that I _needed_ it, you understand... it is nice though... just... to know it's there, you know..." Birle and Lyss exchanged quick glances, and Lyss smiled; they always found it amusing how the old man tried to deny his dependency on their herbs. He always liked to pretend he was like a little boy with a cold; like he would be better in a few days, and rarely needed anything in the way of herbs, unless of course he hurt himself by accident while completing some manly task. Lyss sometimes wondered if that was really what he himself believed... he did seem a bit crazy at times.

Mr. Higgins paid for plants and then hurried back home, probably to make some tea. Birle and Lyss continued on with small laughs to do the day's errands, none of which varied much from the normal routine. Around the time that the sun reached its peak, Birle told Lyss she could go.

"Just stay in the village, all right? I'll come get you when it's time to go home."

"Okay! Thanks, Mama! See you later!"

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Now that she was free to do as she wished, Lyss wondered what exactly she should do. Suddenly, several large white and furry things whizzed past her, nearly knocking her to the ground. They were closely followed by a boy with sandy hair, strong looking arms, and mischievous brown eyes that lit up when they saw her. That was when she realized that the boy was also being closely followed by someone- Paister, the village baker. 

"Griffin, what- "

"Run!" shouted Griffin, grabbing her by the arm and continuing to sprint after the furry somethings, which Lyss now realized were the baker's dogs. What on earth had Griffin done this time?

They tore down the dirt road, dodging people and carts and other things as they tried to lose the vengeful Paister. He was a jolly old man, normally, but now... well, let's just say it looked a lot like Griffin had done something that had a lot to do with both his flour and his dogs, the two things Paister most cared about in his life. Griffin was in big trouble.

Suddenly, a large wagon piled high with bundles of straw pulled out on front of them. There was a small opening between the wall of the nearest shop and the wagon which Griffin, being in the lead, quickly slipped through. Unfortunately, Lyss couldn't get through fast enough, and Paister managed to grab her just before the wagon rolled away again.

"I should've known you would have something to do with this if he did! What exactly did you think you were doing! Did you _see_ my dogs? And my poor kitchen! It's a wreck!"

"Let go of me!" Griffin, hearing his friend's yell, turned around and saw she had been caught. Immediately, he ran back to her side and shouted at Paister.

"Aw, you let her go Paister! I swear, she didn't do anything! It was all me... I didn't realize the bags would completely explode like that!" He shoved the baker off of Lyss and pulled her away.

"Oh, yeah? If she didn't have anything to do with it, why the heck was she running?"

"I was just following Griffin! I wanted to see what would happen... actually, I'm pretty curious about what _did_ happen. Griffin, what did you _do?"_

"I didn't mean to do it," said Griffin, turning slightly red. "What I was trying to do sort of blew up in my face...literally... let's just say that the end result was I caused three bags of flour to explode, scared the hell out of Paister's dogs while simultaneously coating them with flour, turned the whole kitchen white, and saw the dogs practically destroy the kitchen on their way out."

"_Three?_ How- what were you trying to do!"

"Er- well, actually, I was just trying to see if there were any of those little apple pies left over..." He trailed off, his color deepening. Both Lyss and Paister looked stunned for a moment. Then Lyss burst out laughing and didn't stop for several minutes. Even Paister had to smile... he _was_ generally good natured.

"It's not funny!" said Griffin defensively, going redder by the second. He had now reached the shade of a nearly ripe strawberry.

"No," said Lyss, still laughing. "It's hilarious!" This went on for a while longer and finally ended with several people staring and Griffin beet red. Paister had calmed down from his initial fury, though he assured Griffin that he would be cleaning up his kitchen, as well as slowing working off the price of the flour. He wasn't going to let _this_ one go, he said. Lyss thought it would be better not to ask what he had let go.

Griffin and Lyss then decided to go back to his father's shop, which happened to be a blacksmith's shop and just around the corner. Griffin's color was now back to normal.

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Birle still couldn't believe all the things she had told her daughter the previous night after so many years of leaving the subject completely alone, by an unspoken agreement. Or at least, she'd thought there had been an unspoken agreement. The trouble with those, thought Birle with a small smile, was that they sometimes turned out not to exist. 

Birle had no idea what would happen now... all she knew was that, when she was Lyss's age, she would never have let something like this go, even- no, _especially_- especially after their talk last night. Never. One thing she couldn't seem to come to a conclusion on, however, was what exactly she would have done. Finally, Birle decided to at least pretend to herself that she had dropped it until the rest of her errands were done. There was actually less left to do than she had thought, so she finished fairly early. Yesterday morning, she had been planning on returning to the cottage with Lyss as soon as she was done. That had been before their conversation last night. Now, she desperately needed to talk to Nan. So, holding her things with one arm, she headed towards the inn by the river.

Seeing the little makeshift dock as she approached it, Birle smiled as she thought once again that this was the place where she had first set eyes on Orien. But now, she had no wish to set eyes on him again. Her worst fear was that father and daughter would meet, and both would turn against her for keeping them apart. And then Orien would offer Lyss a home in his fancy manor, and Lyss would accept, and she will have lost them both. She couldn't let that happen- she could no longer even begin to imagine a life without Lyss. Then she saw Nan, now gray-haired and slightly stooped, but still as alive as ever, hanging laundry up to dry outside the inn. Birle's father had passed away when Lyss was five... the inn should technically have gone to her at that point as he couldn't marry Nan, but she hadn't wanted it, and anyway, Nan was better at that sort of thing. Nan looked up from where she was, and smiled as she saw Birle walking towards her.

"Why, hello, Birle! Haven't been around in a while, have you? Where's my Lysie now?" Birle smiled. Sometimes, she didn't know how she would have gotten through anything without Nan.

"Oh, Nan, I need your advice on something. I don't know what to do, or even if there's anything I can do! Lyss asked me about her father last night, and I told her all about him, though I sort of left out one rather important detail about him. And I just know, she's not going to leave things as they are, she's going to ask me again, and I have an awful feeling she's going to ask me to find him!"

"Slow down, no need to say everything at once," said Nan, giving her an amused look. "Lyss wants to know about her father, does she? Well, that's certainly understandable. After all, there was a time when the only thing you wished to hear about was your own mother. I became quite tired of the subject, actually."

"But that was different!" said Birle exasperatedly.

"How?"

"My mother was dead, and I at least had some memories of her. Orien, on the other hand, is still very much alive. And Lyss has no memories whatsoever of him."

"So that's his name, is it? Almost sounds familiar... and you say he's alive? Do you know where he is?"

"Yes, and yes again." answered Birle miserably. "And you just practically repeated her last two questions last night."

"And what's the big secret you didn't tell her?"

Birle hesitated. "You won't tell anyone?"

"Not if you don't want me to."

"I don't."

"Well then, I won't. So what is it?"

"Orien... well, the reason his name sounds familiar to you is that you have probably heard it before. You see, Orien is... he's...well, he's the Earl." She waited.

"...the _Earl?_"

"Yes."

"Are you sure?"

"Of course I'm sure! How could I possibly not be sure? And Orien doesn't even know she exists!"

Nan was silent for a moment. Then she slowly said, "I think the best thing to do in this case is simply to let things be... there isn't really much you can do, we'll just have to see in which direction Fortune's wheel turns."

With a soft sigh, Birle agreed. "You're right, I guess. There's nothing to be done."

"Why don't you go, take Lyss, go home, and get a good night's sleep. You'll both feel better for it."

Birle smiled softly. "Thanks, Nan. It really makes me feel better, knowing you know and I've told someone."

"You're quite welcome. Now, please, for both of us, _go- home_." Birle hugged her, and ran off. Nan smiled to herself as she watched her go. As soon as she had you totally convinced she had finally settled down, she _would_ go and do something like this. It was almost as if she were trying to prove you wrong.

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Birle strode through the village, intent on finding Lyss, when a little boy with dark hair suddenly ran up to her and said, "You're Lyss's ma, right?" she nodded, confused. "Yea, well, she asked me to give you this." The boy shoved what looked like a note from Lyss into her hand. Not knowing what to expect, Birle began to read it.

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Lyss and Griffin had been doing various things for a while, when Griffin suddenly said he had something to tell her. He took her aside, where nobody could hear them, and burst out, "Lyss, I'm going to go to the trader's day! I just had to tell you that- I haven't told anyone else! I'm going to see everything, go everywhere, meet everyone!" He stopped, breathing hard, and waited for her to say something. Lyss just looked stunned- she hadn't expected that. When she remained silent, Griffin said, "Well, aren't you gonna say anything?" 

"You're leaving? Just like that- you're just... running away? And you haven't told _anyone_?"

"I just told you. Doesn't that count?"

"Well, I suppose it does... oh, Griffin, what am I supposed to do without you here? Are you sure? No one else around this place really knows how to have any fun!" Griffin and Lyss had been friends since they were toddlers, and neither of them had ever gone farther than from Lyss's cottage to the village and back.

"Um, actually, maybe you won't have to... find something to do without me, I mean... you see, I sort of had another reason for telling you I was going besides just saying goodbye. I was just sort of... I was wondering if... well..." Griffin trailed off, embarrassed.

Lyss's blue eyes widened as she realized what he meant. "You mean you're saying... you want me to go with you?"

"Only if you want to. It'll be fun... we've never done anything big like this without each other before, and it would be nice to have you along..." Griffin trailed off again, not knowing what to say. He wasn't looking at her.

"When are you leaving?" asked Lyss weakly. She didn't want to admit it, but there was a part of her that really wanted to go with him. After all, Birle had run away when she was her age, hadn't she?

"Tonight... I would've asked you sooner, but you were never in the village and my dad and I were too busy for me to leave and ask you. This morning, I was afraid I would have to sneak into your cottage tonight and wake you up and tell you. But... will you? We would only be gone for about a month at most, and judging by the weather and the fact that you and your mother just did everything that needed to be done around here for a while, nothing much is going to happen around your place for a while. Birle can take care of herself. The busy season just ended for my father and I yesterday. And didn't you tell me once that your mother ran away when she was fourteen, and didn't come back until more than a year had passed? She'll understand if you go. ...Will you?"

Lyss looked into Griffin's eyes, and saw the pleading there. She couldn't bear to see him look at her like that. Suddenly, she didn't care what leaving might mean, how her family would feel, what might happen while on the road... she just wanted to _go_. She was tired of this place and wanted to see something new. With Griffin.

Lyss took Griffin's hand in her own, and said, "Yes, Griffin. Yes. I'll go with you." Griffin broke into a huge smile of pure happiness. Lyss smiled back as she let go of his hand and said, "Just let me write a note to Mama... I can't just disappear without any explanation at all..."

* * *

Slowly, Birle unfolded the note and read what it said with disbelief. 

_Dear Mama,  
Please don't be angry with me, I'm not doing this to hurt you or anyone else. Griffin has asked me to go with him on a trip to a 'Trader's Day,' in the capitol, and I've told him I will. He is leaving immediately, so I shan't see you before I go- the reason for this note. Please don't worry about me, I promise I will be fine. I am more than capable of taking care of myself, and I will have Griffin with me. He thinks we should be back within a month. I love you._

_-Lyss.

* * *

_

REVIEW, REVIEW! ...please? It would make me very happy. Hope you liked it, and thanks for reading! Sorry it took me so long to get this up, I'll try to get the next one up sooner!

... pretty please review? with sugar on top...? (lol)


	5. A Kiss

Yay, I got the next chapter up! Hope you like it. Remember to review...

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing.

* * *

Gladaegal rushed into Orien's room at the crack of dawn and hurriedly woke him up, saying happily: "Up, brother! It's a new day, and the rest of us have decided that the time is ripe for another hunting trip! Hurry and get dressed; everyone else is already ready!"

"...hmm?" muttered Orien, still mostly asleep. Then, he realized what his brother was telling him and quickly sat up. "What are you talking about? We just went on a hawking trip yesterday, and I'm too tired to get up now! Besides, we still have to prepare for the Trader's Day!"

"Yesterday was just a short trip of a few hours where we allowed the hawks to do the hunting for us. This time, we will be gone for days, and we will do the hunting! And more than just rabbits too."

Orien blinked. "We can't go on an extended trip _now!_"

"Oh, yes we can! And we are, too! Come on, Orien, it's been ages since we've done this; yesterday made all the men realize how much they've missed it. There's still more than a week 'till Trader's! We can make it, easy; besides, we've got servants to work out all the little details for us, in case you've forgotten. I won't take no for an answer!" And with that, Gladaegal yanked Orien's covers off his bed and opened the curtains wide, at the same time shoving some clothes at him. "Be ready in twenty minutes! Your horse is already saddled. And hurry!" Gladaegal rushed out of the room as hastily as he had entered, probably to wake some other poor man despite the fact that he had told Orien that everyone else was already ready and waiting for him. Grumbling, Orien pulled himself out of bed. It was just like him to do something like this...

Ten minutes later, Orien was eating a quick breakfast while Gladaegal stood over him, telling him to hurry up. The moment the final bite entered Orien's mouth, he hurried him to the stables and up onto his horse, which really was already saddled. A small crowd of mounted men cheered when they saw him ride out. Maybe Gladaegal hadn't been exaggerating when he said everyone was waiting for him, thought Orien in surprise as he smiled at the and gave a small wave. Silently promising himself that this trip would last no more than three days, Orien rode out of the gates at the head of his men.

_

* * *

I love you._

_-Lyss._

Birle reread the last lines of the note again in disbelief. She was gone. Lyss was gone. Her baby, her little girl, her beautiful daughter had run away.

_Griffin has asked me to go with him on a trip to a 'Trader's Day,' in the capitol, and I've told him I will._

A 'Trader's Day?' Birle wasn't even completely sure what that was. She had never been to one herself, and Orien had never told her anything about them. Oh my god, thought Birle, she was _gone_. Somehow, Birle didn't seem quite able to register that fact.

She needed to talk to Nan. _Now_.

Turning around, Birle ran back towards the Inn. People stared as she rushed by, but she didn't care. Didn't they understand that her baby was _gone? _Something needed to be done, and now. Suddenly, Birle realized she had just run by the blacksmith's shop... Griffin's father was there. Skidding to a stop, she ran in there instead. "Tahl!" she shouted, searching desperately for him "TA-"

"What?" came a slightly surprised voice from behind her. She spun around and glared at him.

"Do you _know_ where Griffin is? Huh? Do you?" she practically shouted at him. Perhaps she was a little less calm than she had thought...

Tahl frowned. "I assume he's off somewhere with your Lyss. Birle- calm down!" he said alarm, as Birle looked ready to murder someone. "What's wrong!"

"You're completely correct; that's what's wrong! He _is_ off somewhere with my Lyss! Only I don't know where—and I doubt you do either!"

"What're you talking about? They'll be back any minute now; it's starting to get dark!" At the mention of it getting dark, Birle lost it. She just broke down sobbing into a startled Tahl's arms. She just couldn't stand the thought of her baby out there somewhere, alone, in the dark... well, Griffin would be with her, but he was no longer qualified to have anything to do with her daughter, in her opinion. He had stolen her away in Birle's eyes.

After she had calmed down a bit, Tahl gently set her down in a chair and asked her what exactly had happened to upset her so. In answer, Birle shoved Lyss's note at him. She didn't much care that it showed writing; Tahl and Griffin and Nan and a few others she could trust had discovered she could read years ago.

Tahl stared at it for a few seconds, and then said; "Uh... Birle, I can't read this."

"It's a note. From Lyss." said Birle in a soft voice. "It says... it says she's gone. It says that your son asked her to go with him to a 'Trader's Day,' whatever that is, in the capitol, and she agreed. It says they won't be back for a month. They're gone."

For a moment, Tahl was silent. Then, slowly, he said; "I should've realized something like this was going to happen. A crier was here a few days ago... I doubt you saw him... he was telling us all about the Trader's Day. Griffin was very interested... I never even thought about what that might mean... the moment work was done, that day, Griffin disappeared to talk to him about it..." Then, Tahl shook his head as if to clear it. He was a very levelheaded man, and no doubt believed that he couldn't waste time brooding on it if there was nothing to be done. Yes, Griffin was gone, and yes, that saddened him. But there was nothing he could do about it. Griffin was a smart boy who knew what he was doing, and he would be back within a month. He did his best to comfort Birle, but she soon realized that the man wasn't going to be of any help. She needed to return to her original plan—finding Nan.

With as little warning as she had given when she had barged in, Birle took off again, leaving an exasperated Tahl behind her.

She reached The Falcon's Wing in record time and rushed inside to find Nan in the kitchen. Nan, seeing her almost-daughter practically hysterical, rushed over to try and calm her. "Birle, what is it!"

"It's Lyss! She's gone! She's gone, Nan—she's run away with Griffin."

"She has, has she? ...well, it seems to me that you did much the same thing when you were her age. And she has Griffin with her, you say? Well, you can take comfort in that, at least. As far as I knew, you were alone. Griffin's a good boy; he'll take care of her and see that she comes to no harm. Birle, calm down now! There's nothing you can do about it! I'm sure she'll be back soon. Which is more than I could say when you ran away. Yes, it's dangerous out there, but it's dangerous in here too! I had to tell myself these things over and over again when you ran away to keep from going crazy. There's nothing you can do about it right now! Come on now, we can talk about this in the morning; it's getting late. And you're in no condition to walk home at the moment; you can sleep in one of the empty guest rooms. Come on..." Nan gently but firmly led her away upstairs and unlocked the door to one of the unoccupied rooms. "Get some sleep." she told Birle, and there was a note of finality in her voice. She left, and Birle sank down onto the small bed with a sigh.

Nan always had a way of making her feel better, even when she didn't really seem able to do much. Like now. There was just something about her sensible look at things that helped calm her down, her black and white take on everything that make the answer seem so simple. Yet, even as she sank into an exhausted sleep, Birle knew that even Nan couldn't simply wave a magic wand and bring her daughter back to her. But Birle did know something; she knew that people weren't kidding when they said it could be dangerous out there. She had more than learned her lesson about that when she herself had run away. Not that she regretted it—she wouldn't have traded that part of her life for anything. Her last comforting thought before sleep took her was that, maybe, Lyss would feel that way about whatever adventures she might have with Griffin.

* * *

They'd been traveling on foot hours, carrying little with them and no longer talking much. They were both tired, having gotten up so early—or, at least, Lyss had. She wasn't sure what his excuse was. But they _were_ both tired, and finally stopped without a word by the edge of the forest and began to set up camp. Soon, Griffin had a good-sized campfire going, and Lyss had put together a sort-of dinner from what food they had brought with them. They ate in silence, and then simply sat there, neither one quite ready to fall asleep in the middle of nowhere with nothing but a blanket between them and the cold, hard earth. With a small shiver, Lyss wondered if this hadn't been the smartest thing she'd ever done. Suddenly, she noticed that Griffin seemed to be staring at her.

"What?" she asked, a slight edge to her voice.

"Oh, uh..." said Griffin, seeming to snap out of it. "Sorry... it's just..." he trailed off, and Lyss realized with annoyance that he was once again staring at her.

"You're doing it again."

"Huh?" He realized what she meant, and turned slightly pink. "I'm sorry..." he said again. " It's just... you look very beautiful, out in the moonlight like this..." Lyss blinked. Well, she certainly hadn't expected that.

"Griffin..."

"No, wait. I have to say this." He took a deep breath and moved closer to her. "Lyss, I..." somehow, he couldn't seem to put the right words together. And then, without warning, or any explanation at all, Griffin kissed her.

Lyss was so shocked, she didn't know what to do at first. Then, she pulled roughly away from him and stood up. She couldn't think... she didn't know what to do, what to say... Griffin was like her brother... this... this... she couldn't even quite grasp what he had just done, what it meant... Confused, Lyss just stared at him.

"Lyss... I'm sorry..." He stood up, and she backed away from him. She felt like she didn't even know him, like he was a stranger. "Lyss, don't..." Griffin moved towards her, and Lyss, in her confused and frightened state, simply turned around and _ran_. She couldn't stay there... now, she thought she knew what people meant when they were telling stories, and they said that some character's world had been 'turned upside down.' She'd never understood that before. But now, she just didn't know what to do. She'd never found herself in a situation like this before. So she did the only thing she could think of, and ran into the trees... just ran _away_. Exactly what she was running from, she couldn't have said, but she knew she couldn't have stood remaining there a single second longer.

In some remote corner of her mind, she could hear Griffin shouting after her to stop, to come back, that he was sorry and wouldn't do anything like that again. But Lyss just ran on, and eventually his shouts faded away. Oh, what was she going to do? Lyss now wished more than anything that she had turned Griffin down when he had asked her to go with him. If she had, then maybe things would still make sense...

* * *

HA, cliffhanger ! Hope you liked it. All reviews are greatly appreciated..


	6. A Gift from the Past

Yay, I updated! Sorry this chapter is so short, I'm gonna try and get another up this weekend. This was actually meant to be part of a larger chpater, but then Birle's part turned out way longer than I had expected. So now it's its own chapter. Hope ya like it. Remember to review!

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing.

* * *

Birle woke again to a new day, and for a moment, she didn't know where she was. Slowly, she sat up in the mysterious bed that couldn't be hers and looked carefully around, still half asleep. As she became more aware of things, she recognized the room as one of the Inn's. But what was she doing at the Inn? Why wasn't she back home, with Lyss? Where was Lyss, for that matter?

And then everything came back to her in a flash. The trip to the village, the note, her own hysterics... and, again, the awful realization that Lyss was _gone_. She probably knew better than anyone in the village just how dangerous the outside world could be. Yet, after a good night's sleep at the Inn- just how she got it, Birle never knew- but, after a good night's sleep, Birle no longer felt quite as panicky as she had the previous night. She was now able to think the situation through rationally.

Yes, Birle knew better than anyone just how dangerous the outside world could be. But then again, she also knew better than anyone just how wonderful the outside world could be. She knew that not all of it was awful. And Nan was right—Lyss had Griffin to protect her. Birle had never liked Griffin quite as much as Lyss did, but she did trust him. She was certain that Griffin would never do anything to harm her daughter- not on purpose, anyway. He could be rather clumsy at times... but still; Griffin wouldn't hurt her, and he wouldn't let anyone else hurt her. That had to get Lyss at least some degree of safety, assuming she remained with Griffin.

There was one thing, however, that Birle was convinced that both Nan and Tahl were wrong about. They had both told her, 'they're gone; there's nothing you can do about it.' Birle couldn't accept this.

As she got up and hastily made up the small bed, Birle was already formulating a plan to find her daughter, before someone- else... did. Someone else. Birle gave an involuntary shudder.

Then, suddenly, Birle stopped dead as a horrible idea that hadn't occurred to her before suddenly did.

They were going to a Trader's Day... in the capital... Birle swallowed, hard. It was almost certain that Orien would be there... and, likely, he would be made a big deal of. There would be no one in the entire city and beyond who did not know he was there. There would be announcements and toasts and declarations and maybe even feasts in his name. And, knowing the heralds, he wouldn't be called simply 'the earl,' as he was in the village. He would be known far and wide as, "Our magnificent and generous Earl, the virtuous High Lord Orien!" Orien. What on earth would Lyss think when she heard something like that? No—not when. If. If only she could get there in time...

Shaking her head to clear it, Birle rushed out of the room to say a hurried goodbye to Nan as well as a few others, and as soon as she had done that she would hurry back to the cottage to close it up and gather supplies. She _would_ make a difference.

Birle sprinted across the open field towards her home at breakneck speed. As long as she didn't trip... but Lady Fortune was apparently against her on that one. Birle felt her foot catch on something sticking mischievously out of the otherwise smooth field, and then she was on the ground, sprawled out in a very unladylike way, getting dirt all over her nice clean dress. That was okay though... Birle had never wished to be a lady, and besides, there was no one around to see. What was very much _not_ okay was the ominous pang in her left ankle. Oh, please say that was just her imagination... she attempted to move it, and gasped at the sudden pain that spread all up her leg. Muttering under her breath, Birle glared at the offending rock that had dared to trip her in her rush.

Wait... Birle knew that rock. Picking it up, she examined it closely. Yes, this was definitely her rock... there was the scrape where she had dropped it in her grandmother's kitchen.

Birle had found this rock along the riverbed shortly after her Grandfather had died. It was the most beautiful rock she had ever seen, covered in blue and green swirls and worn smooth by the river. Birle had been convinced that her finding the stone had been Granda's way of saying goodbye. Her Grandmother had agreed with her when Birle had shown it to her, and the beautiful stone had been placed inside their safe along with the books and map. But what was it doing there? She had always assumed that it had disappeared along with the other treasures contained within that safe. She'd never seen it again 'till now...

Then, an extraordinary idea came to Birle, and she let in a quick intake of breath. What if... she searched frantically for wherever her foot had yanked the stone from. If couldn't have been loose, not with the way she had fallen... she found it. A small indent in the dirt, barely noticeable... Birle tried notto get her hopes up as she grabbed a nearby stick and began frantically using it to dig up the area.

Twenty minutes later, she had a small but foot deep hole in the ground where she believed the stone, now safely in her basket, had come from. Just as she was beginning to despair of finding anything, Birle felt her stick hit something solid. Not a solidness as if she had hit another rock... it was a different kind of solid. Her heart began to pound in her chest as she slowly lifted out a dirty brown cloth bag sealed with a piece of string. Birle pulled it open with trembling fingers, and discovered exactly what she had barely dared to hope would be there. The map her Grandparents had shown her so long ago when they told her about he Inn's treasure, the book they had used to read together, even the one they had never gotten to. Birle clutched them to her breast, squeezing her eyes shut as she did so. She hadn't thought she would ever see these things again... it was almost as if she had her grandparents standing right beside her, and they were trying to help her help Lyss. A tiny tear ran slowly down her face.

Taking a deep breath, Birle carefullygathered everything up- even the dirty old bag, as it had probably been made by her grandmother. Shestood up, brushing off her skirts.And very nearly fell over again. Dammit, she'd forgotten about her ankle. Grabbing the stick she'd used to dig the hole, Birle leaned heavily on it for support.With a last look at where her grandmother had buried the written treasures for her to find, Birle once again hurried off towards the cottage, if not at such an awful speed as before. This sign from her beloved grandparents had calmed her down a lot.

As soon as she walked through the frontdoor of the cottage, she immediately began putting together a pack to take with her on her search for Lyss. Let's see, what would she need... Birle hadn't had time to put anything together on her previous journey with Orien. She hadn't really expected to go anywhere onthat night all those years ago when she had awoken with a burning feeling that she ought to go outside for a moment, just to check on things...

She took the map she had just found, but put the books away in a safe hiding spot where nobody was likely to find them. There was no reason to bring them, and she didn't wish them to be ruined, thought she somehow did almost wish to have them with her.

Along with map, she took bread, some herbs, a waterskin—unfilled; she would be following a stream for a while. The skin was for later when she might not be so lucky. What else... flint would definitely be useful. Yes, she would bring some flint. And a blanket... the nights would be cold...

After finishing putting together the light pack, she locked up the small cottage and buried the key a little ways from the door. Birle thengazed sadlyup at the little house, hesitating to leave it.She wouldn't see it for several days, at least, now. She had no idea how far Lyss and Griffin might have gotten by now, but they had a good head start. She would have to go quickly in order to catch up with them. With a last look at the only pace she had ever really considered her home, Birle turned around and began to try and catch up with her daughter.

* * *

Well, there it is. Birle's after them (lol.) Hope you liked it, I'll try to get another up soon. Please review! 


	7. Rescue

Another update for this weekend! Birle's not in this one, as she got the last chapter all to herself. Hope you enjoy reading it, and remember to review!

**Disclaimer:** I do not own On Fortune's Wheel, and probably never will.

* * *

Orien laughed as his brother clapped on the shoulder. "Well, brother, it seems you've beaten us all! Not one, but _two_ stags have you caught these past three days! Tav there is the only other one of us who's even come close to bagging one of them! We'll all eat well when we return thanks to you!" He smiled.

Orien was truly enjoying himself on this trip. He'd never admit it, but he was glad that Gladaegal had made him come. It was definitely more interesting than working out the fine details of the Trader's Day, which was now in no fewer than two days. Perhaps he would serve his stags then, and let the people feast on them... he didn't know how the men might react to that, but he liked the idea. This seemed like the most perfect day... he never wanted it to end.

* * *

Griffin watched in horror as Lyss ran from him. What had he done? She'd get lost in there for sure! Why oh why had he had to just lean in and kiss her like that without any warning at all? He couldn't imagine what she must have thought... he could imagine, however, that it was nothing good, judging by her reaction.

What was he going to do! He couldn't abandon her... who knew what might be waiting for her in that place? Maybe he could go back for help... no, that wouldn't work. It'd take way too long... whatever he did, he would have to do himself.

But he knew no more about this strange forest than Lyss did. If he went in, he'd probably get himself lost even faster than she would, and where would they be then? There was only on thing to do. Much as he hated it, he did need some help. But he still couldn't waste time by going back... there was nobody in the village who would be able to help him, anyway. As far as he knew, he and Lyss were the only ones ever to leave. He would have to wait by the side of the road, and hope someone friendly with some knowledge of this forest would come by and help him. It seemed like an awful plan—who knew if anyone was even coming! But he couldn't think of anything better to do. God, if anything happened to her... Griffin didn't know what he would do.

* * *

After running through the woods for what felt like hours, Lyss finally collapsed at the foot of a huge oak tree from sheer exhaustion. Panting, she began to cry softly to herself. What was she going to do? Taking a deep breath, she tried to steady herself. Maybe running from Griffin hadn't been the smartest thing to do... but she was too weak and exhausted at the moment to care. She'd worry about everything in the morning...

When she woke, Lyss felt a lot better. She also felt a lot thirstier. Oh, no... that was when she realized that in her confused state the previous night, she'd run away from Griffin with nothing more than the clothes on her back. She had nothing.

For a moment, this thought scared her to death. But then she pushed that away. She was fine... see, there was a creek just a few feet to the left of her. There must be one, she could hear it...

Going to investigate this sound of water, Lyss climbed carefully over the forest roots and full bushes, her thirst pushing her on. She soon reached, to her surprise, a small but steep cliff that led down to a sort of lake. There didn't seem to be much of a beach next to this lake... the place was like a large valley that had been filled in with water. It looked deep, too. Lyss shuddered as she noticed that bit of it. She didn't know how to swim, there being no river by the cottage... but she needed to drink something. Trying to tell herself that nothing could possibly happen and not really believing it, Lyss very slowly began to make her way down the side of the cliff towards the small lake.

A few minutes later, she was about halfway down when there was suddenly a large indent in the cliff. There was nothing for her to stand on. Realizing how she would have to lower herself, Lyss began to feel slightly sick. But she quickly shook that off and got a good grip on the lowest root she could. Carefully, she allowed fist one leg and then the other to dangle over the nearest ledge. Quickly, she grabbed a lower root and attempted to bring herself down gently. Unfortunately for her, however, this new root wasn't as strong as the previous one. Spraying dirt across her face, it ripped out of the wall and sent Lyss flying out into thin air before she had a chance to grab anything else.

With a splash, she entered the ice cold water. Gasping, Lyss found with dread that she had not been wrong about the lake being deep.

She thrashed about desperately and felt her clothes beginning to drag her down. Even if she could make it to the edge, there was nothing to pull herself out onto. She couldn't see, she couldn't breathe, there was no one to help her. Oh god, this was it... she was going to drown, right here, right now, and there was nothing she could do about it. Why did she ever leave... would her mother even know what became of her? Choking, Lyss began to yell, even enough she knew the chances of someone being near enough to hear her were almost nothing.

"Somebody, please, anybody, help! I—I can't swim! Please!" She gasped for air, her limbs feeling like lead and her dress now an enormous weight pulling her under.

"Help! ..._HELP!_" She was going under...

* * *

Orien silently studied the ground, searching for the deer tracks he had been following for the past hour. He had lost them, somehow... he needed to catch this thing, and soon. The group had split up earlier to make hunting easier, but everyone had to be back at the camp by noon. Ha, there they were... he began to follow the tracks once more.

Suddenly, Orien stopped. He thought he had heard something... but no, it was impossible. Resuming his path, he continued to track the deer. There it was again... now, Orien began to listen more closely, straining his ears.

"_...can't swim..." _He couldn't be hearing this... involuntarily, he found himself turning towards what he thought was the source of the noise.

"_help..._ HELP!" There was no way he was imagining this. Forgetting the deer completely, Orien took off to find the owner of that voice. Within seconds, he found himself at the edge of the Valley Lake. Just below him, he could see a girl thrashing about desperately in the water. She seemed to be slowing... how long had she been down there?

Kicking off his boots and pulling off his shirt, Orien dove in after her.

* * *

Lyss couldn't do it anymore... it was hopeless. Giving a silent goodbye to the world she knew she was about to leave, she felt herself slipping under. It was all over... her sight began to cloud over as water filled her mouth... she tried to resist breathing it in...

And then, through her haze, she felt a pair of strong arms wrap around her waist and begin to pull her powerfully towards the surface. Who had her? ...maybe an angel was carrying her off to heaven. Air was filling her lungs again...

* * *

Swimming to the edge of the lake with the mysterious girl in tow, Orien quickly pulled them back up to the top of the cliff. Immediately examining the girl to see what kind of shape she was in, Orien was relieved to see that she was breathing. But she needed to be taken care of at once... her skin felt like ice. Hastily replacing his boots and shirt, he gently picked the girl up again and headed with new purpose back to the camp.

* * *

Wow, that was an intense chapter. Hope you liked it. Please Review! 


	8. Lyss

Here's the next chapter! Sorry it took so long; i had a ton of stuff going on and couldn't work on it. It was actually ready on sunday but they wouldn't let me submit it for some reason. To explain the chapter title, i chose it because pretty much everything that happens in this chapter centers around her, even though she's unconsious for pretty much the whole thing. That's all i have to say, really... so, enjoy!

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Griffin stared hopelessly down the stubbornly empty road. He wondered, in some remote corner of his mind, just how long he had been sitting there, waiting for someone, anyone, to come and help him. Doing absolutely nothing. Oh, god, where was she! He hoped more than anything that she was okay.

A noise suddenly startled him out of his dismal thoughts. He looked up. Maybe... no, it was just a squirrel. Griffin put his head in his hands. He felt so helpless...

There it was again! The squirrel was still eating whatever it was it had found, it couldn't have been him again... Griffin stood and squinted in the direction he thought the sound had come from. Yes, there was definitely something moving over there... or maybe, someone? Desperate hope flooding his heart, Griffin took off to see if it was a person who could help him, even forgetting his and Lyss's things in his haste.

As he closed the space between them, Griffin saw that the moving something was, indeed, a woman. She seemed to be alone, and was striding determinedly down the dirt lane. She looked up, and their eyes met when they were a mere ten feet apart. Griffin froze... he knew this woman...

* * *

Birle shook herself away from thoughts ofthe amazing discovery she had madeonly that morning, and looked up. Lyss was all that mattered now. But as she looked up, she stopped dead in surprise as she was suddenly faced with a boy running furiously towards her. Their eyes locked, and the boy froze as well. The boy was Griffin. He stared at her in shock for a moment, and then began to speak in a rush. 

"Oh, no... You're Lyss's ma! Oh, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry... I swear I didn't mean for it to happen! She looked so beautiful and I didn't mean anything by it—well I did but not like that—and now she's gone and I don't know where—and I can't go after her because the I'll just get lost too and I'll never find her and I need somebody to help me and oh I'm so sorry!"

"Griffin, what are you talking about? What do you mean Lyss is gone? If you're saying she's gone from her home, then you're quite right." Birle still hadn't forgiven him for taking Lyss away. But what on earth was he talking about now? Griffin stopped, took a deep breath, and visibly tried to steady himself. He sounded much calmer when next he spoke.

"I'm sorry... I know you'll never be able to forgive me or trust me with your daughter again, but I really need help right now. Actually, Lyss needs help. Last night, she sort of ran away from me into the woods... I'm no good at navigating in the wilderness like that... I don't know if she is. I can't find her, and she hasn't come back. I swear, I never meant for this to happen! I couldn't stand it if anything ever hurt her..."

Birle stared at him for a moment. "You're saying that Lyss is alone in that forest? With no supplies? Since last night?"

"Yes." Griffin wouldn't look at her.

"And why on earth would she do a stupid thing like that?" Griffin didn't answer. Birle's eyes narrowed. "Something happened, didn't it? Didn't it? Tell me what happened, now!" It was not a request. Griffin cast a quick glance at her and then muttered,

"It... it doesn't matter what happened. We just have to..." He trailed off under Birle's angry stare. Realizing her was fighting a losing battle by trying to keep his kiss a secret, Griffin sighed. "Okay, fine, I'll tell you. But don't freak out, okay? I really didn't think she would react that way..."

"Just tell me, Griffin."

Griffin took a deep breath and looked her straight in the eye. It would be easiest if he just said it straight out, fast, with no beating around the bush, and no fear of what she might think. "Last night, we were sitting by the fire and I kissed her. Lyss got upset, and she ran away into the woods." For a moment, Birle seemed stunned.

"You _kissed_ her?"

"Yes."

"And then she ran off?"

"That's about right."

Birle was silent for a moment, and then she shook her head as if to clear it. There were more important things to worry about right now. "Okay, I'll kill you later. Now, we need to do something." She thought for afew minuteswhile Griffin stood before her awkwardly. Then she nodded to herself as if she'd come to a decision.

"We can't go in after her. This forest is huge; we'd never find her in it. I do know something about navigating in the wilderness, but I know nothing about tracking. Lyss is a smart girl; she'll be able to take care of herself for a while, assuming nothing... er, goes wrong." They both shivered slightly. "But there's nothing we can do about that at the moment, so let's just do what we can for her." Birle smiled sadly to herself at the irony as she heard how much she sounded like Nan and the others from the Village; perhaps she was more like them than she liked to admit.

"What _can_ we do for her?" Griffin asked nervously.

"Well, you both came out here to go to a Trader's Day, right?" Griffin made a sound of general assent. "Well, when Lyss decides to do something, she can be very stubborn about doing it. She knows that you were heading east in order to get there, and I don't think she'll have gotten far enough for the direction to change. Any fool can tell whichway east is just by looking up at the sky. So, Lyss will eventually decide to continue on to the capital, maybe even meet you there. The only way to find her is to travel on to the capital ourselves. Let's go." She began walking again.

Taken aback, Griffin looked at her in surprise. "Right now?" She turned around.

"Oh, do youknow ofsomething we should be waiting for?" Griffin, puzzled, said nothing. "Well then, as I believe I already said, let's go." She continued off down the road without even looking back to see if he was coming. Griffin ran hurriedly ahead of her to grab his and Lyss's things. He hoped she was safe, wherever she was...

* * *

Orien managed to reach the camp in record time. A quick glance aroundtold him that he was the only one there, other than the mysterious girl he had brought with him. The camp was very small; just a few cloth tents grouped around a burnt out campfire. The lords who went with him on these hunts would always say impressively that they were going to really 'rough it,' and other manly things like that. Orien always smiled to himself when they did; they had no idea what it was like to _really_ 'rough it,' as they so quaintly put it. He did. His time with Birle, particularly his timeas a slave,had definitely taught his that much at least. 

He spread a soft blanket out on the ground by the fire, and gently laid the girl down on it. He looked down on her for a moment, and then turned around to bring the fire back to life himself, seeing as anyone else who might have done it was still out hunting. He even began to prepare some of yesterday's catch for their dinner.

By the time the rest of the group returned, dinner was roasting and the air was pleasantly perfumed with the smell of the delicious meat. But the girl still hadn't woken.

"Why, hello, my Lord!" said Mann, coming out of the forest a little ahead of the others (**A/N:** Gladaegal is the only one who calls him Orien, other than Birle, who hasn't seen him in fifteen years. Everyone just calls him 'the Earl' when talking about him to others, and 'my Lord' when speaking directly to him.) "What were you doing back hereso early?" He thennoticed the meat hanging over the fire, and a look of shock crossed his face. "My Lord! You shouldn't be doing such— such _mundane_ things as that! Why didn't you wait for one of us to return; we could easily have done it for you!"

"Do you mean to tell me what I can and cannot do now, Mann?" asked Orien good naturedly. "Since you seem to be so interested, you might like to know that I fixed dinner because I could not leave the girl there alone and had nothing else to do. Besides, it would have taken at least another hour to finish had I waited."

"My Lord... I meant no disrespect; of course you may do as you wish..." Mann trailed off, a light shade of pink.

"Think nothing of it, Mann." By now the others had entered the camp as well. Many of them also looked a bit stricken as they realized that their Earl hadfixed themdinner, though they didn't say anything. Gladaegal was the first to notice the girl stretched out on the blanket by the fire; turning to Orien, he asked confusedly.

"Oy, Orien! Where'd she come from?" He gestured towards the girl.

"I found her half-drowned in the Valley Lake an hour or so ago. Had to pull her out. She hasn't woken up since, though she was definitely awake in the water. Or, at least, she was at first..." For a moment, he trailed off, but then he continued as if he hadn't. "I couldn't think what else to do with her, so I brought her back here to dry off. Hopefully she'll wake soon—" He stopped speaking abruptly. The girl had stirred. Apparently the loud Lords and their servants had woken her up. Orien quickly hushed his men and went over to kneel beside her.

Slowly, she opened her eyes and sat up a bit, looking confused.Orien received a momentary shock as she did so; he hadn't been able to tell when she had been unconscious, but her eyes were the most beautiful bellflower blue. Just like his...

* * *

Hope you liked it! Just so you know, Orien has not figured out that they are related yet. He does not even know he has a child. For those who did not read the book, you should know that Orien's brother, Gladaegal, personally escorted Birle back to her grandparent's cottage when she left, and was aware of her pregnancy. This may become important in later chapters, as he is now the only one of noble birth who knows that Birle had a baby and where she went. Remember to Review!


	9. Another Inn

Griffin had been walking a few steps behind Birle for what seemed like hours. The sun had long since risen, and he hadn't slept all night for worrying about Lyss. Birle showing up had calmed him down considerably, though, even to the point where he almost felt like himself again. It was just comforting, he mused to himself as he trotted down the road behind her, not really aware of anything that might have been happening around him (not a whole lot was). Yes, it was comforting just to have someone else there with him, someone with whom he shared the common goal of helping out Lyss. Someone who actually seemed to have a plan. Griffin didn't like to admit it, but he had been totally at a loss for what to do before Birle had shown up. He would never have thought of simply continuing on to the Trader's Day without her... but, now that Birle had pointed it out to him, he could see that that was the right course to take. Lyss would be able to find what she needed to survive, and she would be able to continue on to the capital from wherever she was. What she was unlikely to be able to do was find her and Griffin's camp again. Staying had been helping no one.

A slight sort of crinkling noise brought him back to reality. What was that? he wondered, looking curiously around him. It wasn't that the sound had been very loud, it was just that it had seemed... well, out of place. He wasn't quite sure where a noise of that sort would fit in, actually. It sounded ever so slightly familiar, but also completely alien. What _was_ it? He peered carefully around him, but failed to locate the source of the noise.

Griffin jumped as, just when he had begun to give up on it and return to his random musings, he suddenly heard the sound again. Again, he had the feeling that under some sort of different circumstances he wouldn't even have noticed this noise, but it just sounded so _strange_. It was just a soft, oh so subtle sort of thing... like a crinkle, or maybe a rustle... could it be someone walking through dead leaves? No; there was nobody else around, and besides; it was just near the end of spring. Maybe it was a fire; he had heard large bonfires make a sound sort of like that often in the forge. But this... this was different than that, somehow. It was just a gut feeling, but somehow Griffin was sure this was no fire.

Then it hit him. He knew where he'd heard that sound before, where it was that it wouldn't strike him as odd. With Lyss. He'd heard that sound whenever Lyss had had to write something down, or had looked at one of those strange list type things her and her mother used to keep track of the herbs they sold. It was the sound of someone shuffling paper.

It had to be Birle; where else could it possibly be coming from? But what was she doing with paper? He sped up slightly until he was almost walking next to her, but was still slightly behind. Birle was so immersed in whatever she as doing that she didn't notice him slowly sneaking closer.

Carefully, Griffin peered over her shoulder. She was trying to shield something with her cloak... what was it? The path then bent slightly, causing Birle to turn towards him. Sure enough, Griffin could see she was looking at a piece of paper with strange symbols written on it. Deciding it didn't matter if Birle knew that he'd seen it, he cautiously asked,

"Uh... what is that? That piece of—paper, the one you're looking at. I can't read, what does it say?" The moment he finished, he realized how rude the last part had sounded. He had no right to ask that. Hastily, he added, "Unless it's personal, of course. It's none of my business... forget I asked..."

Birle, who had jumped slightly when he spoke, looked up. They'd been walking in silence for so long; she had almost forgotten he was there. Glancing regretfully back down at the map for a moment—she'd almost thought she'd discovered a place they could stay and avoid contact with Orien, but then she'd realized that Lyss wouldn't be able to find them there either. Looking back at Griffin, she said simply,

"It's nothing personal... just a map... that's sort of a chart of the land. See, these marks here show the forest we were walking by before, and that line there shows the river by The Falcon's Wing. Right now, I think we're about here." She indicated a spot on the map just a few inches from a dot showing the capital- where the Trader's Day was to be held.

"A map," said Griffin in wonder. He had never seen one before that hadn't very clearly been homemade on a piece of bark in thirty seconds by one of the other village boys. "Where'd you get it?" he asked, still rather in awe. Birle looked sharply at him.

"That," she told him firmly, "_is_ personal." Neither mentioned the map again, though Birle continued to look at it from time to time.

A few hours later, Griffin noticed that the sun was starting to set. Looking over at Birle, he said carefully, "We should find a place to stay for the night. Maybe by some trees, in case it rains..." Birle, whose sharpness had long since vanished, smiled slightly as she looked over at him.

"Don't be silly. I brought some money with me just for this purpose; do you think The Falcon's Wing is the only inn in the Kingdom? I know just where we're going to stay." For a moment, Birle hesitated, but then she went on. "It's not quite as nice as our own inn... but it'll be better than staying outside, and we'll have a roof over our heads a least." Griffin looked over at her in surprise.

"You'd be willing to pay for me to stay overnight at an inn?"

"It wouldn't cost me any more than it would be to stay overnight by myself. The only difference is that I'll have to request a room with two beds."

Griffin was silent for a moment. Then, "Thank you."

"Well, I can't very well just let you freeze out here while I have a bed to sleep in, can I?" Griffin didn't say anything.

What Birle hadn't told him was that the inn she had chosen for them to stay in was a lot worse than 'not quite as nice as our own.' In fact, it was the type of place that one would normally try to avoid... it usually happened to be full of highly questionable people whose way you tried to stay out of. But, Birle argued with herself, it would be cheap, and anything had to be better than the wilderness that was the only other option.

However, Birle could not deny, at least privately, that she had another reason for wanting to stay in such a place. They were getting closer and closer to a place she had long ago promised herself she would never return to, and she had been having uncomfortable memories of meeting countless lords and ladies who seemed to have studied her very closely during their brief meetings. And why shouldn't they have? As far as they had known, she'd been the future Earl's Lady, who would one day help rule their lives.

Birle was afraid that if they went anywhere halfway decent, she might be seen by someone who could recognize her. She had no wish to see Orien again, and thought it would be cruel to possibly give him hope of her coming back. Assuming he still wanted her back.

* * *

An hour later, they arrived at the place. Several drunken looking men who had probably been thrown out by the rough looking guards near the doors were standing around about fifteen feet from the entrance. Birle noticed with distaste that one of them had passed out, and was lying ignored in an ugly looking heap, a broken flask of whiskey beside him.

They approached the inn, and several of the remaining conscious men turned to sneer at them. More at her, actually.

"Hey thah, girlie," said one, his speech slurred as he staggered towards them. "Watcha—watcha doin' tanite?" This was met with raucous laughter from the other men. One hit the speaker approvingly on the shoulder, causing him to collapse. He did not get up again.

Maybe staying here wasn't such a good idea after all, thought Birle worriedly... but they were already there. They might as well stay. Those men were all too drunk to be able to do anything anyway.

Griffin looked about nervously; if he hadn't been looking straight at it, he would never have believed that such a place could possibly exist. Back in the village, no one would have stood for it. It wouldn't have lasted ten minutes.

Nevertheless, when Birle walked by the guards, Griffin followed her. Now he thought he knew why she was willing to pay for him to stay here... he certainly wasn't about to let Lyss's ma stay in a place like this by herself.

Birle rented their room from a greasy looking man with very rotten teeth. "There ya go," he said, leering at her as he handed over a rusty key.

"Thank—thank you," said Birle, trying hard not to gag. She was seriously starting to wish she'd agreed when Griffin had suggested they sleep under the trees. Every single person she'd seen there was dirty, smelly, profane, and either drunk or working hard to get there. She turned to Griffin, about to suggest they go up to their room so as to escape to some relative peace, when loud shout suddenly emanated from the outside.

"Wha's tha' now?" muttered a man Birle presumed to be the owner because he remained sober and wasn't waiting on anybody. He moved outside, and Birle could hear him arguing loudly with someone outside. She moved so she could see what was going on, Griffin following closely behind her. Birle gasped when she saw what going on. Of all the times to decide to try and keep the peace... a troop of the Earl's guards were outside. Orien's guards. They were telling the owner of this disgusting place that it was out of control; that he had to do something within one week to fix it or they would shut him down for disturbing the peace and corrupting the area. This seemed to outrage the man.

"Whaddya mean, I gotta fix it? Fix wha'? This plac's fine, I tell ya. Yawl can't tell the likes o' _me_ wha' ta do. Do ya no 'oo I am? I owns this 'ere place! And I'm agonna do wha' I want wi' it, ya 'ere! Now, geroff my prop'ty!" The guards, however, did not seem ready to go just yet. They argued some more, and then the owner pulled out a pistol and pointed it at who appeared to be leading the guards. "I b'liev I told yawl ta scat." he said dangerously. The guards looked at him like he was possibly the dumbest man they'd ever seen.

"You can't be serious, man. You're clearly outnumbered, and my men are sober. Put that away."

"Geroff my prop'ty."

"No."

"Awrite, then, if tha's how ya wan' it." With those words, he lifted the pistol slightly higher and shot. Luckily for them, he wasn't a very good shot; but he still hit the guard's hat. It fell to the ground as the drunken men surrounding the inn all let out a roar and charged at the soldiers, fighting for all they were worth. They didn't appear to be worth much.

The brawl didn't last long. As the leader had said, the drunks were vastly outnumbered and, obviously, drunk. Soon, every man out there was being held by one to three men, depending on how strong he was and how much he had drunk. The leader, whose name was Calcov, stood up and glared around at them all.

"This establishment is a disgrace to our entire Kingdom! I am ashamed that it was allowed to exist for so long. I am officially closing it down, and placing both its staff and all patrons under arrest. You shall _all_ face the Earl's justice!" He turned back to retrieve his horse, and all guards not already holding drunken men surged into the inn, grabbing anyone they saw and dragging them back outside.

A frighteningly strong man caught Griffin and twisted his arm up behind him even as he tried to protest, and swiftly shoved him out the door. At the same time, a second guard seized Birle slightly more gently and told her to get moving. Stumbling outside, both Griffin and Birle's hands were bound behind their backs before they were pushed into a line with the other prisoners. This wasn't good...

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Ha! Another cliff-hanger. I know, I'm evil that way . Anyway, hope you liked it, and please review!


	10. A Bunch of Lords

Here's the next chapter, finally! Sorry for the wait; I had a lot of stuff going on this weekend, then my internet wouldn't work and I have some major tests tommorrow... not really an excuse, I know, but here it is anyway. Hope you like it. Please remember to review!

**Disclaimer:** I do not own _On Fortune's Wheel_.

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**Flashback to Second Chapter:**

"_What was his name?"_

_"You mean I haven't told you…? No, I suppose I didn't. His name…" Birle didn't think Lyss would recognize it as the name of the Earl- when it came to Orien, people just didn't think of him as Orien, or even Lord Orien. He was just the Earl; he had no name, as far as they were concerned. At least, none that made any difference, or that there was any point to remembering. "His name was Orien."_

_"Orien…" repeated Lyss, savoring the name. A very nice name, really…_

**End Flashback**

The sound of loud voices, seemingly from very far away, cut sharply through the haze of Lyss's mind. She frowned; she felt very strange. Part of her body was uncomfortably warm, while another felt somehow... wet. Where was she? What was going on? Lyss still hadn't opened her eyes, but she did so now, her bellflower eyes becoming visible as they fluttered open.

To her surprise, a strange man was leaning over her as she did do, looking concerned. _Who was he?_ That was when she realized that this man wasn't the only one looking at her. She was surrounded by about a dozen men, all openly staring at her. Frightened, Lyss sat up and attempted to jerk away from them, but, unfortunately for her, this didn't really work. First of all, she was still too weak to really jerk away from anything, and secondly, yet another unknown person happened to be standing directly behind her. The rather sad results of her actions were merely Lyss doing a sort of strained flop and bumping her head on the someone's knees. Not a very graceful way to came back to reality.

"Whoa, there, calm down. No one here is going to hurt you, I swear. You're safe." It was the man she had noticed leaning over when she first came to. Lyss eyed him suspiciously. He gave her a soft smile, and said, "Trust me." A moment passed where they just looked into each other's eyes, each trying to see into the other's heart. Then, for reasons unfathomable even to her, Lyss nodded. She didn't know why, but she somehow trusted this man.

Orien glanced up at the men crowding around the poor girl. It was clear they were freaking her out, and he didn't appreciate that. "Come on, guys, clear out. Give her room to breathe, would you?"

Embarrassed, the men shuffled away with various murmurs of, "Of course, my Lord," and "My apologies, my Lord." Orien waited until they had thinned out a bit and didn't seem to be listening too obviously, and then he turned back to the girl. It occurred to him that he should really ask what her name was; he couldn't very well just think of her as 'the girl' forever now could he? But that would have to wait at least a few minutes; for now, there were other things that needed attention.

"How do you feel?" he asked her gently. She looked up at him. Despite the fact that she no longer seemed seriously scared, as she had at first, she was now looking at him with decided nervousness. But she did answer him.

"I feel all right, I guess. Sort of hot on one side..." she trailed off as she finally noticed the source of this discomfort. There was a good sized campfire just a foot or two to the right of her. _And_ she had been covered in some kind of fine fleece blanket for however long she had lying there. The man looked at her rather sheepishly.

"I'm sorry. I should have realized that that was too close to the fire; I guess I wasn't really thinking about that. I was hoping the fire would help to dry you off, actually. Feel free to move away from it." Lyss quickly did so, finding the relative coolness a few feet away to be very nice indeed. "Better?" she nodded.

Now that she had gotten over her initial fright, Lyss allowed herself to look around more freely. She saw several tents, the campfire, a few weapons they were presumably using for hunting, some horses, a few other things. It might all seem very normal at first sight, but Lyss felt a slight shiver run down her spine as she looked at it all. All around her were signs; signs, that these were no ordinary men she found herself in the midst of. The man who had spoken her was clean-shaven, and his shirt was made of some kind of very light, smooth material that Lyss had never seen before. Someone had told her about it once though, a trader passing through the Inn. This looked like what he had described... what had he said it was called? Something with an 's,' maybe? Salt? Silt? ...sss.. silk? Yes, that was what it was called, she remembered now; silk. The tents looked as though the might be made out of this 'silk' as well. The weapons were extremely well-made, highly polished, and appeared to have been carved out of some dark wood she did not recognize. The horses were the finest she had ever seen, and it even seemed that some of the men there might be servants. Lyss didn't know what to think; she didn't belong here. But what were a bunch of Lords doing out in the middle of nowhere like this?

"Uh... where am I?" asked Lyss, wondering how to ask her question. "And how did I get here?" There was a pause. "My Lord," she added hurriedly, remembering late that one was meant to show respect to these people. To this man in particular, it seemed, as even the other Lords were calling him 'my Lord,' and obeying him when he asked them to leave.

Orien hesitated. "Well, to answer your first question, you're in a forest several miles west of the capital. We're all here on a hunting trip." Well, that answered her unspoken question. The Lord seemed to hesitate again before he continued. "So, you... are you saying you don't remember what happened earlier, when you ask how you got here?" Lyss stared at him.

Something had happened earlier? Apparently something she ought to remember, by the way he was looking at her. Trying to think back, she desperately tried to recall anything momentous that might have happened in the last few hours. She leaned back slightly, and felt her dress squish.

Orien could tell the moment she remembered what had happened; how she had nearly drowned. Her eyes grew wide, and she let out a small "Oh," looking rather distant. He was silent, not saying a word. She deserved a few moments to take it in.

Lyss was in shock for a second; she could remember how she had fallen into the strange lake, how her dress had weighed her down, how she hadn't been able to get out. It had been awful... she had been completely alone; she'd thought she was going to die. But why hadn't she? The last thing she remembered was the pain in her chest, how the world had seemed to go dark while she slipped under...

Coming back to earth, Lyss looked back up at the Lord. "How... how am I still alive? As far as I can remember, I should be dead by now." she waited for his answer, completely forgetting the whole 'my Lord,' thing this time.

Orien was surprised at these words. For some reason, perhaps it was how loudly she had been yelling just a minute beforehand, he had been sure she was awake at least long enough to realize she was being rescued when he pulled her out of the water.

"I was tracking something in the forest, not far from the Valley Lake, and I heard someone yelling. I thought I was crazy at first, since the chance of meeting another human being in these woods other than the people you see around you now is about nothing. But then I heard the shouts again, and decided to investigate them. I'm glad I did. What I found was you, stuck in the Valley Lake, thrashing about. You very clearly couldn't swim, so I jumped in and pulled you out. Then I carried you here." He paused. "You know, you're lucky to be alive."

Lyss was silent for a moment after hearing the man's story. He was right; she _was_ lucky to be alive. Almost timidly, she spoke again. "Well... I guess I sort of owe you my life then, don't I?" He said nothing, just looked away. Then, "Thank you," said Lyss softly.

"It doesn't matter. I'm sure you would have done the same thing... are you feeling all right now?"

"Yes... I think so." Lyss wasn't quite sure what to say; it was almost unnerving to suddenly discover that you would be dead but for some complete stranger.

"Are you sure? Do you need anything?" A thought occurred to him. "Are you hungry?" he asked, gesturing to the meat that had by now finished roasting.

At the mention of food, Lyss remembered _why_ she had gotten stuck in that stupid lake. And, of course, her stomach chose that time to growl very loudly, much to Lyss's embarrassment. "Umm... food would be nice, I guess..." she mumbled, not looking at the Lord, very red.

Orien smiled. "Of course. I'll get you something..."

While Orien was piling up some food for the mysterious girl he seemed to have pulled out of thin air, Gladaegal finally had an opening in which he could study her without being too obvious. She was very young looking, and yet not quite a child. She had pale chestnut hair that fell lightly well past her shoulders, a delicate looking figure, and was wearing a very simple dress that looked as though it might have been clean before she had fallen into the lake, as his brother claimed. At that moment, she turned her head towards him, still not looking directly at him, and Gladaegal was surprised to see the color of her eyes. They were like small bellflowers... he'd only ever seen one other person with eyes like that before. His brother. She seemed the right age, too...

Wait. What was he doing? He wasn't seriously thinking about _that_, was he? Gladaegal hadn't thought about that in years. And there was absolutely no way this girl could possibly... have anything to do with it. With that, Gladaegal pushed the matter firmly out of his mind and did not think of it again. Instead, he too decided he was hungry and went over by his brother to have some food.

"Hey, Orien, move over will ya. I'd like some food too if you don't mind, _my lord_," he added teasingly while several others looked at him, aghast at his attitude around the Earl. Orien, grinning, shifted over a bit so he could get through.

Lyss, too, stared at the pair of them after overhearing this short exchange, though not for the same reasons as the others. Did he just... no... he _couldn't_ have... He just called him Orien. Wasn't that...

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You know what you should do... the button is right below here... I promise I'll update more often if I get more reviews! Besides, I like hearing what people think about this.


	11. Arrested

Well,here's the next Chapter, I am sooooo sorry it took so long to put up! I was in washington dc all last week, and before that the making period was ending for school and I had a ton of stuff to do... I know, not really an excuse, feel free to flame me about it if you want. Now, finally, here's what happened after chapter nine..._

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Stumbling outside, both Griffin and Birle's hands were bound behind their backs before they were pushed into a line with the other prisoners. This wasn't good... _

Birle didn't really understand what was going on even as it happened. They had nothing to do with this place; why should they be arrested? It wasn't as though _they_ had tried to shoot to shoot the officer. Maybe if she just explained... but no; that wouldn't work. Even if she somehow got them to listen to her, they would want to know what she had been doing there in the first place. She couldn't very well tell them she had been trying to avoid any Lords or Ladies that might recognize her by going to the last she could expect to find them. That plan had definitely backfired.

The Officer had said that they would 'all face the Earl's justice.' The Earl meant Orien, so they were taking her straight to him. She _had _to find a way out before that could happen. She hadn't kept away for fifteen years to be brought before him now, like this.

She became aware suddenly that Griffin was nudging her with his boot, trying to get her to start moving. The Earl's guards were making them move now, having quickly finished boarding up the doors to the Inn.

Reluctantly Birle began to walk. She had to get away, but that wasn't possible now. She would have to wait. Maybe tonight, when they stopped. They had to stop eventually. It was too far to the capital to go straight there, and that had to be where they were taking them.

As they walked, she watched the sun slowly rise over the distant mountains. The rowdy men from the Inn had grumbled and said many things that she'd rather not repeat when they'd first figured out what was going on, most still stone drunk. However, their captors had not had much trouble with subduing them. They walked now in relative quiet. Birle was glad of the long, frequent walks to the village she had taken with Lyss, for this now didn't seem so bad.

* * *

The sun was low in the sky again by the time they finally stopped. Birle was tired by this time, and grateful for a chance to sit down. Griffin sat beside her. One of the men came over and roughly removed the bonds on their hands, with a gruff order not to try anything. 

"What are we supposed to do now?" he asked her quietly. "How are we going to find Lyss?"

Birle hesitated. "I don't know, exactly. We're still going to the same place, but we can't really do much going in this fashion."

"I've been studying the guards." Griffin glanced over at her. "I don't think we're going to be able to get away. They seem well-trained, not that I'm really any judge. But they're keeping a close eye on everyone, and I think they know what they're doing."

Birle wasn't sure what to say to that. "But we can't stay here!"

"What else can we do? We can't escape. I think they're going to give us a fair chance to explain ourselves when we get to the Capital. We can tell the Earl that we have nothing to do with these men. I'm pretty sure he'll believe us; any fool could tell at a glance we don't belong here."

It sounded like a sane enough plan, and Birle probably would have consented to it if things had been different. If what Griffin believed to be the situation was really the whole truth, then she would just be another woman of the people brought up before the Earl for his judgment. However, she knew that if she were brought up before the Earl, things would unfold a lot differently than anyone expected.

"No," she said stubbornly, "There's still another chance." Griffin stared at her.

"How? We can either escape or go along with it. We can't escape, so we have to go. Those few who know of him say the Earl is a good man, we'll be okay."

"_That's not what I'm worried about_," whispered Birle so quietly that Griffin didn't even realize she'd spoken. She looked up at him and continued in a more normal voice. "We could escape, we could go along with it... or we could be let go. You said yourself that any fool could tell we don't belong, so I don't see why they wouldn't release us now." She _would not_ go without at least trying _something_, however unlikely to help. She'd noticed the officer was sitting very close to them. Tentatively, she approached him while Griffin stared after her in disbelief.

"Um- excuse me, my Lord," she said, not really sure how to start. She wasn't really sure if she should be calling him 'my Lord,' either, but it was better to use it by mistake with someone who didn't deserve it than to forget it with someone who did. She'd address him as a lord until he told her not to.

The officer looked her over. "What do you want?" he demanded.

"I, uh, was wondering if I might speak with you," she said. "My Lord,"

The man looked on her with faint distaste. "If you have something to say, then spit it out and leave me in peace," he growled at her. Well, at least he was listening to her. Sort of.

"Well... you see, my Lord, I am here with the boy over there staring at us, Griffin. I felt that I should tell you, he and I have nothing to do with that inn you shut down just last night. We were merely weary travelers who needed a place to stay for the night, we have never been there before that time and we know none of the others you saw there. We would never act as they were." There was a pause after she said this.

"Are you done?" Birle wasn't quite sure how to respond to that.

"...I suppose so, my Lord,"

"Good," he said, and turned back to his meal.

Birle was so surprised by his response to her little speech, that she was startled into saying, "That's it?" The man ignored her. Birle stood her ground. "My Lord—" He rounded on her.

"I believe you just said you- were- done."

"Yes, but—"

"Frankly I don't much care about whatever you just said. If you're trying to get me to release you, I will not. Now leave me be before I have one of my men drag you away." With an air of finality, he turned away from her once again.

Very slowly, Birle began to walk back towards Griffin. The man couldn't care less about what she had to say. He wasn't going to do anything for her. She was being brought to Orien... no...

That was when Birle did a very stupid thing. She couldn't remember ever consciously deciding to do it, all she knew was that she heard Griffin yell something at her as she became aware that she was running as fast as she could away from the small campsite.

She didn't make it very far. She'd gone barely ten strides before several men grabbed her and yanked her back. She was sprawled on the ground before the very same man she had just sort of talked to. He was looking down on her coldly

"Try that again, and you won't like the consequences. And you might know that I am not a Lord." After giving her a thoroughly disgusted look, he turned away.

They left her then, amid mutters of what various soldiers would like to do with her for interrupting their meal so. She felt so hopeless...

She felt a hand on her shoulder then, and looked up to see Griffin standing over her. "You know, I meant it when I said we wouldn't be able to escape. And I meant by stealth, not right in front of them like that when they can all see what you're doing," he added with a bit of his old humor. Birle gave a faint smile. It _was _almost funny, now that she thought about it. Of all the dumb things to do... she'd surely ruined any chance they might have had.

Now, they would be watching her especially, since they had all seen her rather pathetic escape attempt. She truly was stuck there.

The only thing to do now seemed to be exactly what Griffin had suggested just a few minutes ago. They would have to go along with it, and face the Earl when the time came. There was nothing else. She would have to face Orien... Yes; many people were going to be surprised when that came about... Oh, god, she would have to face Orien again, after all this time...

* * *

Hope you liked it, sorry it was a little shorter than the last couple. I just wanted to thank everyone who has reviewed on this story so far; it really means a lot to me to know that people are reading this. If you've been reading but not reviewing, thank you anyway for taking the time to read, though I would like to see what you think about it. I'll try to get the next update up quickly. I'll try harder if I get some reviews...


	12. To the Capital

Sorry this took so long to post, I had a lot going on. Plus, I guess I was getting kinda discouraged with the responses I was getting, or lack thereof. Anyway, here it is. Hope you like it, and please review!

**Disclaimer:** Hmmm, don't think I've remembered to put one of these up in a while. Oh well. I own nothing.

* * *

Lyss stared for a few moments at the carefree-looking lord who had just edged past the man who had saved her just a few hours ago. At least, she hoped it had been just a few hours ago. He had just called the other lord Orien. Orien was the name her mother had told her that her father had been called. But... no, this man couldn't possibly be her father, she thought firmly. I mean, he's a _lord_. The lords have nothing to do with the people. But sometimes, they might, argued a small voice in her head. You're one of the people, and at the moment you're in the middle of nowhere in a camp with a bunch of lords. Lyss decided to ignore that voice. Maybe Orien was a common name among the lords. 

Carefully, she tasted the food that had been given to her by the Lord. It tasted as though spices or a light sauce had been added while it roasted. The pleasant new taste intrigued her. Unlike the lords, the people had neither the money nor the time to spend on luxuries like spices.

"So," said the Lord, sitting beside her. He was silent for a moment, apparently unable to think of anything to say. Then, simply for the sake of saying something, he said, "Is the food okay?"

Lyss blinked. "Um, yes. It's... very good." He nodded.

Suddenly, Orien looked up at the sky and realized that the sun was actually rather low in the sky. He had thought that it was only a little after midday, but obviously he'd lost track of time.

"It's getting late," he said to the girl. Lyss looked up at the sky, and was also surprised to see the level of the sun. How long had she been out?

Reluctantly, thinking that the lord had been hinting that it was probably time for her to get going, Lyss got up and thanked him for the meal.

Orien blinked, surprised. "You're not going off on your own, are you? You may not have noticed, but this forest isn't really a safe place to be on your own. Especially for a young lady like you. I'd really feel better if you remained with us, at least until we get back into the open." Once again, Lyss felt slightly surprised. Lords didn't care about those of the people... or, at least, that was what she had always thought. Apparently, though, this one did.

"I guess I could stay, for a while, if you don't mind..." she said uncertainly. "My lord," she added quickly, realizing she had been forgetting that for a while now. The lord, however, didn't seem to care much about titles. He beamed at her when she agreed to stay.

"Excellent. We'll probably begin heading out of here tomorrow." He gave a small sigh and added, in way of explanation, "I'll need time to go over whatever arrangements those still back at the manor have made for the Trader's Day. An unfortunate thing with being the Earl; everyone always seems to feel you need to babysit them with anything they might do. It would be found scandalous if I were to let them just set it up themselves, even though no one really expects me to find anything that needs fixing." He winked at her.

Okay, Lyss had thought he was surprising her before. Now, she knew, that hadn't been anything. _This_ was shocking. This man... no, this lord... he was the Earl. The _Earl_, second only to the King, ruling half the Kingdom. She stared at him.

Orien, however, did not seem to notice her shock. Oblivious, he got up and went to say something to one of his men.

* * *

Birle and Griffin had been prisoners for two days now, not including the day all those at the inn had been arrested as it had been so late. 

They had quickly discovered that she had been right in her assumption that they would truly have no hope of an escape after her sad attempt. Now, as they walked, there was always a guard or two just a few paces away from them, and many more just a bit beyond them. They had been keeping a much closer eye not only on them, but on everyone. Instead of walking in two big clumps as they had before, one in front of the prisoners and one behind, they were now spread out much smaller groups among them.

Birle wondered idly when they were going to be brought before Orien. It would be a very interesting meeting, she knew. At least they were still going to the same place... Oh, she hoped Lyss was okay...

* * *

The next morning, Lyss was the first to wake in the little camp. She smiled softly to herself. Figures that lords would be used to being able to sleep in as long as they liked. Not really knowing what to do, she sat up glanced around again. It still felt unreal, being here. 

She thought back to that night- it seemed like forever ago, but it really was only the day before yesterday. She thought about how Griffin had admitted his feelings. It didn't bother her as much as it had before, now that she had had time to get used to the idea. She'd always thought of Griffin as her best friend, but nothing more than that. However, now that Griffin had 'bought up' the idea, she realized that she did feel much more comfortable with him than any of the other boys from the village. He wasn't that bad looking, either. Maybe she did like him.

Wait. Now really wasn't the time to be thinking about that. Griffin wasn't here; she would worry about what he had said when she saw him next.

It was that thought that made Lyss finally realize that she had no idea when she would see him, or anyone else for that matter. Here she was, stranded in the forest with a bunch of lords. She didn't know the way back, and she didn't have anywhere to go. Griffin had been the one with the directions, the one who could remember and understand them. What was she supposed to do now? Or rather, what was she supposed to do after she separated from the lords?

Where were the lords going? Well, that was obvious, really. They were going back home, which meant to the capital. She and Griffin had been going to the capital.

Lyss didn't really wish to travel for an extended period with these lords, but she could think of no other option. It was highly unlikely they'd know the way back to her little village, which was known only for its inn- an inn where no real lord ever stayed.

Maybe, she thought desperately, just maybe Griffin had thought along the lines she just had. Maybe he would somehow know that she would be continuing on to the capital. He couldn't know that she had found a ready-made escort, but he might at least realize that it was much easier to get directions to the capital than to their tiny little village. Maybe they could find each other at the Trader's Day. Maybe.

It wasn't much, but as far as she could tell, it was her only hope. Assuming that the... The _Earl_- she had to get used to that some time. Assuming that the Earl would consent to take her along.

She heard movement to her right, and looked over to see that the Earl had woken up. He smiled when he saw her looking.

"Good morning," he said cheerfully. She smiled uncertainly back at him. "Would you like some breakfast?"

"Sure," she answered, noticing for the first time how hungry she was, despite the generous meal she had been given the previous night.

"Well," said the lord going through one of the packs, "we have some bread and cheese here... leftovers from last night... some biscuits... fruit... jerky..."

"Bread and cheese is fine," said Lyss, wondering at all the choices lords seemed to have, even when they claimed to be 'roughing it.' "My Lord," she added, realizing that, once again, she had forgotten it.

He handed her the food, saying as he did so "You don't have to keep calling me 'my Lord,' you know. My name is Orien."

Lyss gulped. Orien... but she couldn't call the Earl (there, see, she was already getting used to it) she couldn't call the Earl 'my lord' if he wanted her to call him by name. "All right...Orien..." He smiled at her again. Well, _Orien_ did seem nice.

"I don't think you've told me your name,"

Lyss looked at him. He was right, she realized. She hadn't told him her name.

"It's Lyss," she said.

Orien smiled over at the girl again. No, not the girl anymore; she was Lyss. "That's a pretty name." They began to eat (Orien had jerky, if anyone cares). Lyss... it really was a pretty name. Actually, it almost sounded familiar, as if he had heard it before. He felt like he should recognize it. He thought hard, and then it came to him. When he had been traveling with Birle, she had told him, at one point, that Lyss had been her mother's name. But there was no way he could be lucky enough for this girl to have any connection to Birle. Maybe Lyss was a common name among the people.

Lyss decided that it was time to ask him about her going with them to the capital. "Um... Orien..."

"Yes?"

"I was just wondering... before you found me, I was trying to get to the capital. For the Trader's Day. I don't really know the way, and I got separated from my friend..."

"Well then, you'll just have to come with us." Lyss was really beginning to think she liked this guy.

* * *

Well, I hope you liked it. Sorry not a lot happened, but Lyss needs some time with Orien before she finds out who he is for sure. Next chapter will come if and only if I get at least 3 reviews- sorry, but I don't really want to write this if nobody's reading. Did I mention I'd really like it if you reviewed? 


	13. Fish and a Soldier

Here's the next chapter, YAY! See, I got this one up faster than the last, didn't I? For those that don't know, when Birle first met Orien she had to fish for them with one of her father's fishing spears, and then continued to do this for much of the book. Whenever I think there's something from the book you should know that you can't get from this story, I promise I'll mention since I know some people are reading this that haven't read the original. On with the story!

**Disclaimer:** I do not own On Fortune's Wheel, and probably never will.

* * *

Birle, who had been in the middle of a lovely dream where she and Lyss were still safe and sound back in her grandparent's cottage, came abruptly back to earth as a soldier shook her roughly awake. "Hm.. wha...?" she muttered, still mostly asleep. Forcing herself to open her eyes, very much against her will, she was sad to see that she and Lyss were very definitely _not_ safe and sound back home. Upon seeing that she was awake, the soldier told her briskly that they would begin moving in twenty minutes, and quickly shoved the heel of a loaf of bread into her hands before moving on to the next prisoner. Turning around, Birle saw that Griffin was by now up as well. He gave her a quick smile, and began to eat his own piece of bread. Turning back, Birle once again began to worry about what might happen in the future, though she had already resigned herself to the fact that it was indeed going to happen.

"Um... excuse me? May I ask something?" said Birle tentatively to one of the men passing by. He looked her over hastily, obviously in rush. Then he answered her,

"Make it quick."

"Yes, of course... I was just wondering, when do you think we will arrive at the capital?"

"Three days, including today." He turned to leave.

"Wait!" cried Birle, not quite having finished yet.

"_What?_"

"That question has a second part."

"Out with it then, before I move on without answering." The man didn't look as though he was in an especially good mood. Actually, he didn't really look as though he was ever in an especially good mood.

"When we do arrive at the capital, how long will it be before we are brought before the Earl?"

"You will be brought before the Earl whenever he decides to bring you before him." Once again, he turned to leave.

"But that doesn't answer my question!"

"Yes, it does. Prisoners are brought to the Earl when he wishes to see them."

"And how long does that usually take?" asked Birle exasperatedly.

"Depends."

"On what?"

"The Earl! Haven't you been listening to me?" Now very annoyed, Birle was opening her mouth to retort when suddenly she noticed a peculiar glint in the soldier's eye. Then it hit her. Why, that... he wasn't in a bad mood, he was teasing her! A glance over her shoulder showed Griffin, practically choking on his meager bread from holding in his laughter. For a brief moment, Birle was furious. How _dare_ he?

However, when she opened her mouth to tell this _soldier_ exactly what she thought of him _and_ his little game, nothing came out. For several seconds, she simply sat there as if paralyzed, her mouth hanging stupidly open without saying anything. Then, she burst out laughing.

She couldn't help it. She didn't mean to, but then, only very lucky people always do as they mean.

After she, and Griffin too for that matter, finally managed to stop laughing she looked up to see the soldier smiling good-naturedly at her.

"To give you an answer you might actually care about, the Earl will probably see you sometime between the hour you arrive and, at the latest, three days after."

Birle smiled at him. "Thank you. So few people give useful answers nowadays," she answered, now almost teasing herself. He tipped his hat at her.

"If you have any other questions I might seek to avoid, just ask for Cinano." he told her, and then really walked away while Birle stared wonderingly after him. Well, she had never expected to find anyone she might actually like among her captors. Griffin, of course, noticed her staring.

"Well, I see you have no trouble with, er... _getting along_ with people." Griffin told her, sounding highly amused. He wouldn't have expected this from Lyss's mother. But then, he supposed, he'd never really gotten to know her too well before now.

Birle frowned. That statement was innocent enough, but... the way he'd said it... It hit her. Immediately, and perhaps a little late, she began protesting even as she felt herself going very red. "I didn't... I don't... I would never! He's..."

Abruptly she stopped and took a deep breath as she realized she was babbling. Griffin was laughing at her now; despite everything, he really was the same as ever even if it didn't show as much. Now no longer as flustered, she opened her mouth and told him, calmly and coolly;

"Griffin; I do not nor would I ever _like_ any of these men. There is only one man I have ever felt anything for, and that was strong enough that I doubt I could ever feel anything for another. The end." She finished, with a light note of finality. Griffin nodded, though he appeared to still be trying to keep a straight face. Then he frowned slightly.

As far as he had known, Birle had never felt anything for _any_ man. She had been the innkeeper's daughter, and rather pretty to boot. If ever she had wished it, she likely could have had her pick for a husband. But she had never married.

So who then was this mystery man she had just mentioned? Griffin assumed it was someone from the village. It had to be, from his point of view. Though he didn't realize it, Griffin didn't really think people from outside the village 'counted.' Yes, they were people and they did exist, but in no way did they really affect their daily lives at all. They were just outsiders, and as far as he knew nobody from the village was acquainted with any. But Birle wasn't really close with any men from the village either, beyond family members and his own father, who seemed a ridiculous option.

His curiosity got the better of him, and Griffin found himself asking, "And who is this 'one man?'" Birle quickly shot him a look that Griffin didn't quite notice.

She hadn't actually meant to mention Orien in her little 'speech,' but it had come out and apparently caught Griffin's interest. Sighing softly, she told him only that "He isn't a man who I have seen in many years. I did love him very much, but had to leave for my own reasons. He was Lyss's father." Something in her voice kept Griffin from asking any more, though he continued to wonder. He'd never thought of Lyss as having a father before, though now that he did he supposed she must have one.

"Guess he's not someone we'll be seeing anytime soon, huh?" He said, trying to cheer her up again. Surprised, Birle looked up at him again, and then looked away with a small smile. However, that smile was not for the reason Griffin believed. _If you only knew_...

* * *

"Are you ready to go?" Lyss smiled up at the Ea- no, _Orien_- as he addressed her. 

"Well, I don't have much to get ready, do I?"

"Very true." Suddenly he stopped and looked quickly over his shoulder at something, a slight frown on his face as though a problem had just occurred to him. "Hey, Mann!" he called to one of the men carrying a bridal towards the horses. He looked over at them.

"Yes, my Lord?"

"How many horses have we got, not including those for supplies?" Mann appeared to think for a moment, then said:

"I believe we have eight, my Lord, one for each of us not including servants." Lyss then realized what Orien (ha!) thought the problem was.

"Oh, uh- Orien- it's okay, I don't need a horse. I'm used to walking, and I don't really know how to ride anyway." She felt rather embarrassed that he cared enough to worry about something like that.

"Oh, nonsense! We can't have you walking!" He told her cheerfully. "Since we apparently don't have any extras, you'll just have to ride with me for the day!"

"Oh-" said Lyss, not really sure what to say to this. She really liked this lord, and didn't at all mind the idea of riding with him for some reason. She only wondered what others might say if she did.

"Don't worry—it'll be fine, I promise. And no one here really cares."

Somehow, this reassured her. She smiled at him and said that would be fine.

As they rode that day, they spoke lightly of little things to pass the time. At her request, Orien told her all about court life, right up to the sort of clothes that the Ladies wore. She seemed to enjoy that last topic quite a bit, so much so that Orien eventually promised he would get her one of the beautiful dresses when they arrived at the capital. Much to his amusement, Lyss turned bright red at this.

"Oh, no... you don't have to... I didn't mean... what would I do with a dress like that, anyway?"

"Probably sit and stare at it, judging by our conversation." said Orien teasingly.

"I would not! Well... maybe a little, just at first..."

"It's settled then! As soon as we get back, you'll have one." And nothing Lyss said could dissuade him.

----

That evening, the lords discovered to their disappointment that weevils had somehow gotten into much of the food. The servants in particular seemed devastated at this disgusting development, but Orien told them not to worry to worry about it. Annoyed at the reactions, he told them all, "Come on, guys, we all came out here because we wanted to 'rough it,' didn't we? We still have a little food left, and this isn't a serious problem because we can buy more food to tide us over tomorrow in that little village. So stop complaining, and enjoy what food we do have!" With that, he headed over to the packs, apparently to follow his own advice.

Lyss, however, couldn't help but notice that there really wasn't enough food for all the men there and herself, even if they lessened the portions. She'd also noticed a very nice fishing spot close by.

"Um, Orien?" she said, walking up to him before he began taking out what little they had.

"Excuse me. Ladies first, of course." He offered her the bag.

Lyss laughed. "No, it's just that I think I know how we can get more food. Quickly." She told him her idea. "I know how to fish, and those hunting spears you have will probably work." Orien's face had lit up at her suggestion.

"You'd fish for us?"

"Well, me too, but yes." Several of the men who had overheard her offer began to cheer. Orien laughed and said,

"Well then, off to your fishing spot!"

----

When Lyss and Orien arrived at the bank, Orien handed her the spear saying that he knew for a fact that he was no good at fishing. Lyss didn't think to ask how he knew this.

"It's not very difficult, really," she told him as she lifted up her skirts and stepped carefully into the water, signaling for him to be quiet.

Half an hour later they had a nice pile of fish, ready for roasting over the fire that the men back at camp had assumably started. Orien seemed oddly quiet for some reason as they began the walk back to camp.

"Is something wrong?" asked Lyss, by now knowing him well enough to realize this wasn't normal. He seemed to snap out of whatever it was, and said with a small smile,

"Oh, it's nothing. It's just... the way you were fishing, just now. It reminded of someone." Lyss nodded and dropped the subject.

----

As they ate the fish amid many compliments to Lyss back at the camp, Orien found himself confessing his feelings to his brother.

"Gladaegal, the way... the way she _moved_ as she fished, it was exactly as Birle does. She fished in just the same way. I don't know why that should mean anything, but I can't stop thinking about it. It's probably the only way there is to fish." He sighed. "Just bringing back memories, I suppose." He looked up at the stars for a moment, and then told his brother that he was going to bed.

"Hey... don't worry about it, okay? Wherever Birle is, I'm sure she's safe and happy. It was nothing to do with you that she left." Orien gave a half-hearted smile.

"I know."

Lyss looked curiously over towards Orien and his brother. For a moment, she'd thought she'd heard her mother's name. But that wasn't possible... Dismissing it, she went back to her fish.

A few minutes later, Gladaegal came and sat beside her. "This really is excellent fish, you know." She smiled softly at him.

"I only caught them. A child could have done the same."

"Nevertheless," For a moment, there was a comfortable silence. Then, "If you don't mind my asking, where did you learn to fish?"

"Oh... my mother taught me, several years ago."

"That's nice." Gladaegal's heart plummeted.

* * *

Hmm, seems like Gladaegal's getting closer, doesn't it? The thing with the reviews still applies. If you're reading this, I'd just like something to let me know! It can be onlyone or two words, I don't mind! 


	14. Gladaegal's Discoveries

Yes, I finally updated! -cheers- Never give up on me! Anyway, yesterday was the last day of school, so you can all expect a lot more updates now. Oh, and since I made you wait solong (I didn't mean to! I had exams, and my Nana was staying, and, uh...) this chapter is extra long! Almost a full 3000 words and 7 pages long, making it the 2nd longest chapter yet! (I think 3rd was longest?)As always,please remember to review! Enjoy!

**Disclaimer**: I do not own On Fortune's Wheel, Cynthia Voigt does. I make no money off of this, all that's mine is the plot of this story. And Griffin. He's mine too.

* * *

Lyss walked happily alongside the lords as they continued to make their way back towards the capital. Orien had wanted her to ride with him again, but after yesterday... well, it had been fine while actually riding as well as all day after that-- but... let's just say that she hadn't ever really ridden a horse any real distance before. When she'd gotten up that morning, she'd barely been able to walk! Orien had assured that that stopped happening after you rode a while, but the very idea of getting on that horse again now made her weak-kneed. So, she was walking. 

Looking over her shoulder at a muffled clopping sound coming from behind her, Lyss saw Orien coming up.

"Hello, Lyss,"

"Hey, Orien."

"Tired of walking yet?" He asked her teasingly. "The offer to ride is still open..."

"I told you, if I tried to ride right now I'd fall apart." He laughed.

"All right! Go ahead and walk if you must." There was a comfortable silence for a few moments. Then, "So, you said you were on your way to the capital so you could go to the Trader's Day, didn't you?"

"Yes," Lyss answered him, and wondered where he was going with this.

"I was just thinking, if you were going to the capital, then what were doing in the Forest in the first place? Besides nearly drowning, I mean. It's not exactly included in any of the usual ways to get there."

Lyss hesitated. "I didn't plan on being there... I'd really rather not talk about it, if you don't mind."

Orien glanced at her quickly, his expression suddenly very different than it had been a moment before. For the first time since she had started, in a sense, being friends with Orien, Lyss felt nervous. He was still the Earl, after all... come to think of it, very few people probably ever told him that they 'didn't want to talk' when he asked about something.

"Lyss... you were pretty deep in that forest to have not planned on being there. And don't tell me you have a bad sense of direction or something, because no matter how bad you are with directions, you can still tell whether or not you entering a forest." Lyss didn't say anything, so he went on. "You said you got separated from your friend..." He trailed off, and Lyss looked up. Lyss thought she knew where he was going with this now... she no longer feared that he was angry, but she didn't think she liked this too much more.

"Orien..."

"Lyss, if something happened, if someone-- did something, I can do something about it! I am still the Earl, after all. ...I can help you, if you need it." Lyss looked up at him. She truly was touched by this, but the fact was that nothing along those lines had happened. But, she really didn't want to talk about Griffin.

"Orien, nothing like that happened. No, I didn't plan on being where I was, and I didn't get there because I have a bad sense of direction or anything. But Orien, no one... _attacked_ me or anything! Had I not gone there, no one would have hurt me, I swear!"

"Well then, what were you doing there?" Lyss didn't know what to say. He waited a bit to see if she would come up with anything, then continued when it became obvious she wouldn't.

"Lyss..." he said gently. "I _am_ the Earl, Lyss. People lie to me, and try to cheat me, try to talk their way out of punishment and various things all the time. And I can tell when they are." He held up a hand to stop her, as Lyss opened her mouth angrily. She most certainly had _not_ lied to him! "I don't think you've lied to me." Lyss closed her mouth, but gave him a look before doing so. "But I can also tell when someone is trying to _avoid the truth_." He finished meaningfully. Lyss's angry look vanished, and she now looked rather guilty. There was an awkward silence for a few moments, and then Orien asked her,

"Do you know what you're going to do, when we get there?" Lyss hesitated.

"Well, not exactly... look for my friend, I guess."

"Do you know where to find him?" After a pause, she shook her head quietly.

"I'm just hoping he'll be there... it was where we were going after all. And I don't know where else to look."

"I see... do you know what you'll do, while you're looking for him? What if you can't find him, or he's just not there?"

"I don't know..."

"Well, you'll just have to stay with me a little longer than we expected then," Orien told her with a small smile. Lyss looked up at him.

"Oh, Orien, thank you so much!" she cried. Had he not been riding a horse, she would have hugged him.

"I know you would do the same for anyone else..." he trailed off. He still didn't know what had happened to cause her to be where he'd found her... He opened his mouth to ask her, once again, to tell him, and then...

"Hey, Orien, c'mere for a minute!" It was Gladaegal. Orien looked over at him, and then at Lyss once more, then sighed before going to see to his brother. However, Lyss was sure that this wasn't over.

--

They had been walking all day, and Birle was tired. Seeing Cinano walking by, she called out to him.

"Hey, Cinano! How long do we have to keep walking for? The sun's going down, which nobody but me seems to notice."

"Sorry, but we'll probably be walking for a while more. Maybe through the night. Capital's less than a day away, and the captain wants to 'get there already,' as he puts it. Sorry to say, he doesn't really like your little group."

"I don't blame him," muttered Birle, glancing around the dirty- and grumpy-looking men surrounding them. "And they're not 'my group.'"

"If you say so..." Birle glared at him. He winked, and then moved on so he could continue keeping watch on others as well as them.

"You know, you don't seem very worried, considering we're on our way to be brought before the Earl himself on charges of disrupting the peace, promoting an Inn he definitely doesn't like, resisting his authority, _shooting_ at one of his captains, and in your own special case, one rather pathetic escape attempt." Birle turned to see Griffin standing behind her, looking slightly amused. "I would've thought that you'd want to put off getting to the capital for as long as possible, not hurry it up."

"Well, if you were listening, then you heard me saying I wanted to stop for the day. That doesn't really fit me wanting to _hurry it up_, now does it?" Birle didn't feel in a particularly good mood.

"Yes, but that's just because you're tired and grumpy." Griffin told her cheerfully. She glared again. "Ever since your stupid escape attempt, you've been trying to get them to hurry up, asking how much longer." He gave her a questioning look and continued. "That doesn't really seem to make much sense, considering how panicked you were when we first got arrested. It's like you don't think anything could possibly happen once we get there."

"Well, not like you mean I don't," she answered without thinking. Griffin stopped and gave her a very strange look.

"Uh... are you okay?" Birle looked sheepishly up at him.

"I'm fine. I, uh... just think that if this has to happen, we might as well not wait around for it."

"But you don't think anything'll happen." Birle didn't want to lie to him, but she couldn't quite figure out how to get out of this one.

"I just... well, no, I don't really. And I have a very good reason for thinking that— I do!" she added insistently, for Griffin looked _very_ skeptical.

"If you say so..." he told her, echoing Cinano, and walked away from her.

Both shook their heads as he did so, each thinking the same thing.

"_They're in for a shock..."_

--

"What is it, Gladaegal?" said Orien in an annoyed voice as he approached his brother. Of all the times for him to interrupt...

"Look." He told him, and that was all that was needed to convey his reason for calling him over.

Orien looked, and smiled as he saw, off in the distance, the misty outline of a city. They were getting close... judging by what he was seeing; they would probably reach the capital before noon tomorrow. About time, too... not that he hadn't enjoyed the trip or anything, but he just wanted to get back. Besides, there was no doubt that they had put together a long list of things that the Earl had to do before the great 'Trader's Day,' he thought with a tiny, resigned smile. However, he still had to finish talking to Lyss... he had truly grown to like the girl over the short time he had known her, and felt that he _needed_ to know what had happened. And from the look on her face a few moments ago, he knew that something had indeed happened. Sighing, he called out to the group at large,

"All right, everyone! Time to stop for today. We've been going long enough, and I'm glad to report that home is now visible on the horizon!" A cheer went up through the men, and they happily began setting up camp.

Orien glanced over at Lyss, who had sat down on a large boulder conveniently nearby. With a sigh, he walked over to her once again.

"Lyss..." She looked up at him, and then looked away. She wanted to tell him, and she knew he was just trying to look out for her, but she couldn't seem to come up with the right words. _Why should he want to look out for me anyway?_ She thought angrily. _We've only known each other for, what, three days?_ But she knew she wasn't being fair, and did reluctantly look up at him again when he sat beside her.

"Look, Orien, I swear, nothing happened," she told him. She wanted to go on, but, once again, words failed her.

"Lyss, I'm the Earl. It's my job to look after those of the people. And... I like you, Lyss. If someone hurt you, or tried to, I want to know."

"Nothing—"

"As I said, you were pretty deep in those woods for 'nothing.'" Lyss was speechless for a moment. That seemed to be happening a lot today.

Orien said nothing, and finally Lyss, sighing, told him, "Fine. You're right, something did happen, but it wasn't anything... dangerous, or whatever you think. No one hurt me, or tried to, or even threatened to! It's nothing for the Earl to worry about." She finished quietly. Orien was silent for a moment as well, and then said,

"Perhaps it was nothing for the Earl to worry about. But I'd like to think of myself as your friend too, Lyss, and I am worried about it." Lyss looked up at him, up into those eyes that looked so much like her own, and suddenly it all came out. She told him how she had been going to the Trader's Day with Griffin, how he had confessed his secret love to her, how she had only ever thought of him as a best friend before and how she had panicked. She told him how she had run away from him, how she had fallen into the lake and how confused she was now about how she felt about Griffin. She told him everything. He let her talk herself into silence, and then gave her a small smile.

"Well, I'm not sure how good I am at giving advice, but I was once in a situation very like the one you say you're in now with your friend Griffin." Lyss said nothing. "There was a girl once... young, and a lot like you really. I met her, while... traveling, and somehow we ended up traveling together. This... girl, she... well, she liked me. I tried to get her to go home a couple of times, but she always seemed terrified at the very idea. At first, I thought it was because she didn't want to marry her betrothed back home, so I told her she could stay until it was certain that he would no longer want her. But then that time came, and went, and still she couldn't stand the idea of leaving. I did try to be firm, but somehow she always ended up staying despite me. After a while, I'm not sure exactly when, I realized her real reason. But... I viewed her as a child, and never with anything even close to romance. It seemed to me she was simply harboring a childish attachment. I did not return her feelings, and she knew it, yet despite this she still insisted upon staying. I'll never know why." He sighed. "Well... things—changed; several events took place. I myself nearly died at one point. She saved me from my... situation, with the aid of a simple man called Yul, and then nursed me back to health completely alone and by herself for several weeks up in the mountains." Orien was looking up at the stars, a misty expression on his face. "And... somewhere along the line, I noticed... how beautiful she was. How intelligent, and how unlike the stuffed-up Ladies of the court. I finally realized that, despite her youth, she wasn't a child at all. I fell completely and utterly in love with her." A silence fell.

"Is she waiting for you now, back at your home?" Lyss asked softly.

"No," whispered Orien. "She left." Lyss didn't know what to say.

"...Thank you, for telling me that, Orien. It... helped." He smiled weakly at her.

"I'll see you in the morning, then."

Little did he know, Birle _was _in fact waiting for him back home, even as he denied it.

--

Finally, exhausted and barely able to walk, Birle and Griffin stumbled through the gates to the Earl's manor. Birle shivered as she looked around... she certainly hadn't ever intended to return here again. Now, however, she was too tired even to be nervous about Orien. The captain then gruffly ordered his men to hold the prisoners where they were for a few minutes while he went to do something. Faintly, she thought she heard the sound of hoofbeats in the distance...

--

As Orien headed towards his sleeping roll, Gladaegal stopped him. "What do you want now?" He asked him tiredly. Unfazed by the Earl's annoyance, Gladaegal answered him.

"Do you think I should travel ahead to the manor, announce that we're on our way?"

"Fine... go, do as you wish..." muttered Orien grumpily. With a nod, Gladaegal walked away.

About ten minutes later, he had his horse re-saddled and was about leave when he saw Lyss, still awake and sitting on her rock. And just like that, Gladaegal knew that he _had_ to know before he left... no matter how stupid it was; he had to know one way or the other. Now. Taking a deep breath, he made his way over to her.

"Uh, hey, Lyss," He began uncertainly. He didn't quite know what to say... he couldn't exactly just demand to know, 'are you Orien's daughter!'

She looked up at him and smiled. "Hey, Gladaegal." He gave her a weak smile in return.

"So..." Not knowing exactlyhow to go about this, he said, "I was thinking; I don't really know much about you, do I?"

"Um, no, I guess not..." said Lyss uncertainly as he sat beside her in Orien's vacated seat.

"So, uh, tell me about your family. What about your father?" He figured, that must be the most direct way to prove himself wrong, right?

"Oh... I never knew him. My mother raised me by herself."

"I see," said Gladaegal, deflated. "Well, your mother then... you said she taught you to fish?" Lyss nodded. "So, uh, what's her name?" Gladaegal was shocked by his own daring with this last question. He waited for her answer, holding his breath, hoping against hope...

"Oh... her name is Birle." Gladaegal positively stared at her. "Um... are you okay?" He shook his head quickly to clear it.

"Oh, yes, of course... very nice name. I, uh, need to go..." And he left.

Lyss stared after him. _Well, that was strange_...

--

Gladaegal was galloping towards the manor; his head spinning... there was no way there could be _that_ many coincidences... Lyss was Orien's daughter. His own niece. She _had_ to be. God, how would he tell Orien!

He stopped his horse short in the courtyard, and quickly handed it over to a stable boy. As he strode over to the manor, he saw a group of arrests huddled in a section by the stables. Glancing over them, he thought, _looks like another load of drunks_... then he stopped dead. No way... this could _not_ be happening...

"_Birle?"_

She looked up, and seemed to pale a bit at the sight of him. "Gladaegal!" He stared at her for a moment, and then turned to practically run back into the manor. In his state of mind, it never even occurred to him to help Birle with her situation. This was so not good...

Griffin looked quizzically over at Birle. "You know him?"

"Not now, Griffin..."

--

Gladaegal threw himself down on his bed. All he could think was, 'Oh, my god...'

_And they had no idea what was coming.

* * *

_

Getting closer to that moment you're all waiting for, isn't it? Did you like how Lyss and Orien had a sort of father/daughter moment there? And Gladaegal knows who Lyss is now, and he knows that Birle is there. Next chapter looking good? Please review, I still want at least 3! 


	15. sorry!

Umm... hey everyone...

Okay, I know I am taking ridiculously long with updating this story. I'm really, really sorry! I had a sort of family emergency over the summer which is just now starting to get slightly better, and now school's starting up again, with several of those teachers who think their subject is more important than anything else and that you have nothing better to do. I never meant to stop updating like that... I **am** going to update though! I already have four or five handwritten pages done, and I'm going to finish the next chapter and get it posted as soon as I can! Don't give up on me! I'm still not entirely sure how I'm going to end this story, review and tell me if you have any ideas! Again, I am so, so sorry for taking so long!


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